Santo Domingo.– Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Rio, expressed the group's "deep pains" in hearing the murder of Bhutto and its dismay over the "barbarous acts."

Latin American countries Thursday expressed unanimous condemnation of the assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Bhutto, 54, was killed Thursday evening in a suicide bombing attack during her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30 km south of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. At least 20 others were killed in the attack.     

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Mexico condemned the violent acts and deplored the loss of human lives, adding that it rejects terrorist acts in all forms. It also expressed condolences to the families of all those killed in the attack.     

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet expressed her strong condemnation of the assassination. "As president I reject any act of this nature, where political violence reaches the level of killing an opposition leader and a group of people."     

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said her government offered its sincerest condolences to the families of Bhutto and other victims and to the Pakistani people. 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf, saying he heard of the terrorist attack with "great sadness and indignation."         

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said it rejected and condemned the "blind act of violence" that killed Bhutto and other innocent men and women.     

Peruvian President Alan Garcia ordered the nation's flags to be flown at half mast and condemned the assassination as "a repulsive murder."         

Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua's presidential spokeswoman, expressed her country's condemnation of the murder.     

Rejecting the use of violence as a way to eradicate political differences, the Panamanian government said it was saddened by the fact that violence had shortened the life of a selfless fighter for democracy.     

Thursday's suicide attack was the second one against Bhutto since she returned home in October from eight years in exile. The first struck a welcome-home rally just after her return, killing 139 people.     

Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan in December 1988, becoming the first woman to head that country. But her government was dismissed in 1990 amid corruption allegations. Bhutto's father, also a prime minister, was hanged by the military in 1979.     

Re-elected in 1993, she was thrown out again three years later on further graft charges, and went into exile in April 1999.