Annan's top Iraq envoy condemns coordinated attacks near churches

The senior United Nations envoy to Iraq today condemned a series of deadly explosions carried out in coordinated sequence in the vicinity of churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk.

The attacks, which caused the death and injury of many innocent Iraqis, constituted “a reprehensible act that can only exacerbate sectarian violence,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, said in a statement issued in the Iraqi capital.

Mr. Qazi called on Iraq's authorities and political leaders to commit themselves to the safety of all worshipers, and to preserve the sanctity of places of worship.