Security Council members call for political dialogue in Central African Republic

Condemning the attempted May coup d'état in the Central African Republic, members of the Security Council today called for respect for human rights, national reconciliation and political dialogue in the country.

In a statement to the press following closed-door consultations, Council President Ambassador Wang Yingfan of China said the members emphasized the "critical importance" of alleviating poverty and ending the violence in the Central African Republic in order to promote peace and stability in the country and the region as a whole.

Council members also called on the international community to increase assistance to the Central African Republic and stressed that such aid "would be more effective if supplemented by appropriate structural reforms."

The members also voiced support for the work of the United Nations Peace-Building Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) and for the efforts of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to the country, former Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré, who briefed the Council in a closed session this morning.

Reacting to the killing yesterday of the UN Security Coordinator in Bangui, Council members condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the bereaved family.

The victim, Jean-Pierre Lhommée of France, was shot and killed by an unknown assailant when he responded to an emergency call at the house of a staff member in the capital Bangui, according to a UN spokesman.