Middle East: Annan deplores latest attacks, urges parties to resume talks

Decrying the most recent clashes in the Middle East, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on the parties to control their actions and return to the negotiating table, a spokesperson for the UN leader said today.

"The Secretary-General urges all concerned to exercise maximum restraint so that the violence can be brought to an end," spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York when asked about Mr. Annan's reaction to the latest spate of attacks.

She stressed that "those most recent incidents again highlight the urgent need for the resumption of political talks between the parties" and reiterated the Secretary-General's call for the implementation of recommendations put forward by a fact-finding committee lead by former United States Senator George Mitchell.

Ms. Okabe said the Secretary-General "strongly deplores the latest violent incidents in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including the death of six Palestinians today in the area of the town of Jenin and the bombings in Jerusalem as well as the reported Israeli helicopter attack against the Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City."