Killing of Iraqi Council member ‘inexcusable’ Annan says

The shooting death of Iraqi Governing Council member Akila al-Hashemi was "inexcusable" and likely to slow progress towards a representative government in Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.

Dr. al-Hashemi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council was shot in Baghdad on Saturday and died earlier today. She had been scheduled to attend the current meeting of the UN General Assembly.

"The Secretary-General was very sad to learn of the death of Dr. Akila al-Hashemi," A spokesman for Mr. Annan said.

He "considers such murderous use of violence wholly inexcusable, and likely only to retard the process of establishing a broad-based and representative government in Iraq, to which sovereignty can be transferred."

"He sends his sincere condolences to Dr. al-Hashemi's family, and to the Governing Council," the spokesman added.