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Deadly terrorist attack on Chechen President condemned by Annan, Security Council

Deadly terrorist attack on Chechen President condemned by Annan, Security Council

Kofi Annan
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council today voiced both their dismay and condemnation of Sunday's terrorist attack in Grozny, which killed Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov and a number of bystanders.

"Such acts can never be justified. They can only delay the return to peace and justice in Chechnya," Mr. Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said in a statement.

The Secretary-General "extends his deepest condolences to the Government of the Russian Federation and to the families of the victims," the statement added.

The Council President for May, Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, read a statement in an open session unequivocally condemning the perpetrators of the bomb attack, which came during the commemoration of Victory Day, the Russian Federation's most solemn national holiday.

The statement expressed the Council's deepest sympathy and condolences to the people and the Government of the Russian Federation.

The Council "reaffirms that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed," Ambassador Akram said.