Secretary-General urges Israel to halt demolition of Palestinian homes

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the Israeli authorities to cease the practice of destroying Palestinian homes, while calling on both sides to control their actions and re-start efforts for peace.

A spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement that Mr. Annan believed that actions such as the demolition of homes on 9 and 10 July "only aggravate the already tense situation in the occupied Palestinian territory."

"He strongly urges Israel to halt such activities," the spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to both sides to exercise maximum restraint, cease the violence and re-initiate the peace process by implementing the Mitchell report," he added, referring to the report of an international committee of fact-finding headed by former United States Senator George Mitchell.