TOP UN ENVOY SHOCKED BY ‘COWARDLY’ ATTACK AGAINST SOMALI MINISTER

The United Nations envoy to Somalia today strongly condemned the deadly roadside bomb blast which wounded the country's Interior Minister and killed one of his assistants in the capital, Mogadishu.

The minister, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, was walking through bustling Bakara Market on Thursday when the landmine exploded.

"I am shocked by this attack on the Interior Minister and his entourage," said the Secretary General's Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

"This is a cowardly act which has been widely condemned inside and outside Somalia," he added.

Aided by the UN-facilitated Djibouti Agreement, last month saw the formation of a new Government of National Unity, as well as the creation of a newly-expanded Parliament and election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in the Horn of African nation, which has been ravaged by factional conflict since the overthrow of Siad Barre in 1991.

The Special Representative noted that the new administration led by President Sheikh Ahmed was working hard to improve security, raise resources and help Somalis lead a normal life.

"Attacks such as these are clearly aimed at trying to stain the country's reputation," said Mr. Ould-Abdallah. He stressed that the new Government has the support of the majority of Somalis as well as the international community and that "the country is on the road towards peace and will not be thrown off course by these actions."
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BAN CONDEMNS LEBANON TERRORIST ATTACK

BAN CONDEMNS LEBANON TERRORIST ATTACK
New York, Mar 23 2009 6:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned today's terrorist attack that killed Kamal Medhat, the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon, and several of his bodyguards.

"He hopes that the perpetrators of this crime will be brought to justice promptly," his spokesperson said in a statement.

"Such actions must not be allowed to endanger the climate of calm that currently prevails in Lebanon," the statement added.

According to media reports, a roadside bomb exploded as Mr. Medhat's convoy was leaving a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

There are more than 200,000 Palestinian refugees living in 12 camps throughout Lebanon. They are assisted by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which provides education, health and relief and social services to some 4.6 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
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