Middle East: Annan deplores deliberate killings, terror acts; urges sides to resume talks

"Dismayed" by the escalating violence in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned the practice of deliberate killings and acts of terror, and appealed to both the Israelis and Palestinians to stop the cycle of destructive violence and resume peace talks.

A spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement that Mr. Annan urged both parties to focus their energies on the implementation of the recommendations contained in a report - embraced by both sides - by former US Senator George Mitchell.

Spokesman Fred Eckhard also said that the Secretary-General "deplores acts of terror" such as the one committed on Sunday by a Palestinian gunman in Tel Aviv.

"He is also disturbed by the fact that Israel continues to use its armed forces for the deliberate killing of pre-selected Palestinian individuals," the spokesman said, referring to an incident last Tuesday in which eight people were killed, including two young boys, and another over the weekend resulting in one death and five people injured.

The Secretary-General has already condemned this practice, which violates human rights law as well as general principles of law, Mr. Eckhard said.

"Israel's continued use of it can only further inflame an already very dangerous situation," the spokesman added. "The Secretary-General appeals once again to the Government of Israel to put an end to it."