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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