SECRETARY-GENERAL DISTURBED BY UPSURGE IN MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE;
CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS, EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General is disturbed by the recent upsurge of violence in the Middle East, including yesterday’s suicide bomb attack on a bus in the city of Hadera in northern Israel, which killed three Israelis and the earlier killings of a Palestinian leader and five Palestinian boys in Gaza.� He reiterates in the strongest possible terms his condemnation of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and extrajudicial killings, which make progress towards a ceasefire more difficult to achieve.
The Secretary-General once again urges all parties to make every effort to stop the escalating violence.� The growing loss of life on both sides highlights the urgency of the ongoing efforts to secure a durable ceasefire and to start a meaningful dialogue aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
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