Secretary-General strongly condemns deadly terrorist blasts in Jordan

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is currently travelling in the Middle East, today strongly condemned the bombings in Amman, Jordan, and reiterated his longstanding call for the adoption of a comprehensive international treaty to fight the scourge of terrorism.

The attacks on three hotels in the Jordanian capital have killed dozens of people and injured more than 100 others.

In a statement released by his spokesman, Mr. Annan said that during his current tour of the Middle East he has taken every opportunity to underscore the need for collective action against terrorism.

"The people of this region have particularly suffered from this scourge," the spokesman said. "In meetings today and yesterday with Saudi and Egyptian authorities, the Secretary-General stressed the need for Member States to adopt a comprehensive convention against terrorism as soon as possible."

UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe said that Mr. Annan postponed plans to travel to Amman tomorrow in light of the bombings.

Amman had been added to his schedule after he cancelled a trip to Tehran in response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map," a statement which the UN Security Council also condemned.