Asia

Home page

Asia

UN chief slams terrorist car bombings in Iraq

30 July 2013 00:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday strongly condemned car bombings in Iraq as "acts of terrorism," which has reportedly left more than 50 people killed, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The secretary-general is alarmed by the deterioration of the security situation in Iraq," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman. "He condemns in the strongest terms the acts of terrorism and the heightened sectarian violence, which are aimed at ripping apart the country's social fabric."

"The reported killing today of at least 50 people in a wave of car bombings in predominantly Shiite areas is just the latest occurrence of the kind of heinous violence which is becoming all too commonplace" the statement said.

A wave of 17 apparently-coordinated car bombings, which hit the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and several southern cities on Monday, have killed at least 50 people and injured more than 200 others in mostly Shia areas, according to media reports.

"The secretary-general extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Iraq and wishes the wounded a speedy recovery," said the statement. "He urges the Iraqi authorities to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice."

"Iraq is at another crossroads," Ban said in the statement. "Its political leaders have a clear responsibility to bring the country back from the brink, and to leave no space to those who seek to exploit the political stalemate through violence and terror."

"The secretary-general urges Iraqi political leaders to address the legitimate grievances of all Iraqi communities by entering into a serious dialogue with a spirit of compromise, and by passing overdue legislation without further delay," the statement said. "The United Nations stands ready to assist the Government and people of Iraq in overcoming the crisis."

The United Nations envoy in Iraq has called on political leaders to take immediate action to end the "senseless bloodshed" that has gripped the country, as dozens more civilians have lost their lives in the latest wave of attacks.

Earlier Monday, the Acting UN special representative for Iraq, Gyorgy Busztin, expressed his deep concern over the latest wave of deadly car bombings, Edurdo del Buey, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

"I am deeply concerned about the heightened level of violence, which carries the danger that the country falls back into sectarian strife," Busztin said.

"Iraq is bleeding from random violence, which sadly reached record heights during the holy month of Ramadan," said Busztin, who serves with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The UN envoy urged all political leaders to take immediate and decisive action to stop the "senseless bloodshed."