Condemning deadly West Bank attack, Annan says peace efforts must not be derailed

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today decried a deadly attack on a bus near a West Bank settlement, and stressed that the violence must not derail efforts to resolve the conflict.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Annan said he was “appalled” by the terrorist act, which took the lives of seven Israelis and injured 25 others.

“He reiterates his utter condemnation of indiscriminate attacks against civilians which cannot be justified by any political or other objective,” spokesperson Marie Okabe said at a press briefing in New York.

Asserting that the attack “was clearly designed to disrupt the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict,” the statement stressed that the perpetrators “cannot be allowed to succeed in their sinister purpose.”

Meanwhile, the members of the diplomatic Quartet, meeting in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East, also condemned the bombing, saying that they “deplored” today’s tragic killing of Israeli civilians.

“[We] reiterate our strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, including suicide bombing,” the group said in a statement read out by the Secretary-General after their meeting this morning.

“We express our increasing concern about the mounting humanitarian crisis in Palestinian areas and our determination to address urgent Palestinian needs,” he added.