Secretary-General deplores ‘appalling’ suicide bombing in Sri Lanka

Warning against a renewed civil war in Sri Lanka between the Government and Tamil separatists after the latest “appalling” suicide bombing of a convoy of military buses, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the sides to return to the negotiation table.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Annan deplored the escalation of violence in the past several months, including today’s bombing.

“The Secretary-General stresses once again that a return to civil war will not resolve the conflict,” the statement said. “He calls upon all parties to refrain from the use of force and to return to the negotiation table at the end of this month, as tentatively agreed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).”