SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED BY ARMED CONFRONTATION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CONDEMNS ANY ATTEMPT TO TAKE POWER BY FORCE OF ARMS

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED BY ARMED CONFRONTATION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN

REPUBLIC, CONDEMNS ANY ATTEMPT TO TAKE POWER BY FORCE OF ARMS

The following statements was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the armed confrontation that broke out last Friday in the Central African Republic between insurgents loyal to the former chief of staff and Government forces.  The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of any attempt to take power by force of arms and calls on the insurgents to lay down their weapons.

The Secretary-General calls on the international community to provide urgently the logistical and other assistance needed to deploy to the Central African Republic the Inter-African Observation Force agreed to by the leaders of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States at their summit earlier this month in Gabon.

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