SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ‘IN STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS’
SUICIDE BOMBING BY HAMAS IN JERUSALEM
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms the suicide bombing by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Jerusalem today, which killed at least 16 Israelis and injured dozens more.� He expresses his profound condolences to the families of the victims.� As he has made clear repeatedly, the Secretary-General believes that such attacks are utterly reprehensible and only serve to spur further hatred and mistrust.
The Secretary-General calls on the leaders of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples not to be deterred from the path to peace through the Quartet’s Road Map by this attack.� He urges Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas to work assiduously to fulfil his pledge to end the armed intifada.� The Secretary-General calls on both sides to act with restraint in the face of this terrorism.� He believes that the Israeli attacks in Gaza today only contribute to a renewed cycle of violence.� The Secretary-General remains firm in his belief that security for both Israelis and Palestinians can best be achieved through the resolution of this conflict through the two-State solution called for in the Road Map.
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