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UN chief condemns deadly Iraq bombingUnited Nations, Oct 27 (PTI) Condemning the deadly terror attacks in Bgahdad on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to the Iraqi people to unite in the face of "these deplorable acts" and to work to protect the country's political progress. Ban "strongly condemns these senseless and indiscriminate acts of violence that repeatedly target the innocent and aim to disrupt Iraq's recovery," Michele Montas, Ban's spokesperson, said in a statement. "The Secretary-General urges all Iraqis to unite in the face of these deplorable acts and to work with heightened urgency to protect Iraq's political progress, including by adhering to the date of 16 January 2010 to hold free and fair national elections," the statement added
http://www.ptinews.com/ne(...)-deadly-Iraq-bombingJapan condemns Iraq bomb attacksJapan condemned Monday the twin suicide bombings that killed over 130 people in Baghdad on Sunday, saying terrorism cannot be justified for any reason. "Japan is greatly shocked and indignant at the bombings in the Iraqi capital," Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama said in a statement. "Japan reiterates its firm condemnation of these atrocious acts of terrorism that victimize innocent people," Kodama said. He also expressed Japan's deepest condolences for those who have been killed by the attacks and to the families of the victims. According to media reports, the two car bombs, which came in quick succession, targeted two government buildings in central Baghdad, killing at least 132 people and injuring some 700 others. "Japan expects the Iraqi people to mutually respect ethnic and religious groups and continue making efforts toward nation-building while promoting national reconciliation," the statement added.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2034798&Language=enUN Security Council strongly condemns car-bombing attacks in IraqThe UN Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned the twin car bombing attacks in central Baghdad, capital of Iraq, and "underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice." The condemnation was contained in a press statement released here by Vietnamese UN Ambassador Le Luong Minh, who holds the rotating Council presidency in October. "The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the series of terrorist attacks that occurred on Oct. 25, 2009 in Baghdad, which caused numerous deaths and injuries and damage, including at the Ministry of Justice and the Baghdad governorate building," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council expressed their deep condolences to the families of the victims and reaffirmed their support for the people and the Government of Iraq, and their commitment to Iraq's security," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with Iraqi authorities in this regard," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," the statement said. "The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law."
http://english.cctv.com/20091026/101880.shtmlWorld leaders condemn Iraq attacksWorld leaders have joined their Iraqi counterparts in condemning Sunday's double bombing in Baghdad - the deadliest attack in Iraq in two years - and offered their condolences to the Iraqi people.
Up to 155 people were killed and more than 500 injured when two vehicle bombs exploded outside government offices in the Iraqi capital.
Iraqi officials have held the al-Qaeda in Iraq and remnants of the Baathist party responsible for the bombing.
One of the attackers detonated a lorry bomb at a busy intersection near the justice and municipalities ministries, while the other set off a car bomb opposite the nearby Baghdad provincial government offices.
Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, visited the site of the attack on the provincial government office, where he spoke to officials and security officers.
"These cowardly terrorist attacks must not affect the determination of the Iraqi people to continue their struggle against the remnants of the dismantled regime and al-Qaeda terrorists," he said in a statement.
Al-Maliki said the attacks would not affect the political process or parliamentary elections due in January, and promised to punish those behind the bombing.
For his part, Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, said: "The perpetrators of these treacherous and despicable acts are no longer hiding their objective but to the contrary, they publicly declare that they are targeting the state ... and aiming at blocking the political process, halting it and destroying what we have achieved in the last six years."
'Hateful agenda'
Barack Obama, the US president, said the bombs showed the attackers' "hateful and destructive" agenda.
"I strongly condemn these outrageous attacks on the Iraqi people, and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones," he in a statement released by the White House.
"These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve."
He telephoned both al-Maliki and Talabani to offer his condolences.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said: "These despicable terrorist attacks seek to undermine the impressive progress that Iraq has made towards stability and self-reliance."
She said Washington "will continue to support the people and government of Iraq in fighting terrorism".
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato's secretary-general, condemned as "reprehensible" the attacks, saying in a statement: "On behalf of Nato, I strongly condemn the bombing that occurred ... in Baghdad, which caused huge loss of innocent life".
The European Union's Swedish presidency expressed its disgust, while France offered its "full solidarity" and Britain said the attacks had "no justification".
An Iranian foreign ministry official said: "These terrorist actions aim to wreck stability and the process of reinforcing democratic structures."
The Cairo-based Arab League said it "vehemently condemns the blasts" and that it supports and "Iraqi government plans to impose law and security and to fight violence and terrorism".
Iraqi accusation
Sunday's explosions left streets littered with charred bodies and torn-off limbs, and buildings in ruins.
Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government spokesman, and Major-General Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Iraqi army's Baghdad operations, both said 99 people had been killed in the attacks.
A senior official in the health ministry, which bases its toll on combined figures from hospitals, confirmed the number of dead and added that more than 700 people were wounded.
Atta said the lorry was carrying one tonne of explosives while the car was packed with 700kg.
"The blasts that took place today hold the fingerprints of al-Qaeda and al-Baath. They are similar to the ones that took place in August," al-Dabbagh said.
Jihad al-Bolani, Iraqi interior minister, said: "The preliminary report presented to me states that today's bombings are connected with the August blasts."
Al-Boulani said that security forces are now trying to hunt down fugitives who were convicted in absentia in the August terror attacks.
They are believed to have a role in Sunday's blasts.
On August 19, some 10 explosions rocked the Iraqi capital, leaving more than 100 dead and 1,200 injured.
The blasts targeted the finance and foreign ministries, the sites of which were not far from Sunday's blasts.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament, told Al Jazeera the bombing was a message to Iraqi politicians and foreign investors.
"This sends two messages, one of them is to the investment conference in Washington held just a few days ago as if to tell investors not to come to Iraq ... At the same time I think it may be a message to the meeting today of the political council of national security," he said.
'Electoral strategy'
Othman said: "They are trying to solve the problems concerning the elections law. I hope this will urge them to work more than before to solve this problem."
But Ahmed Rushdi, an Iraqi analyst, said that pointing to al-Qaeda in Iraqi and elements from the Baath party, the party of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader overthrown in the 2003 US invasion, was an electoral strategy.
"Al-Maliki represents the Dawa party, which is [from] the Shia majority, and we have elections in January. He will say ... 'I'm going to protect you from al-Qaeda and pro-Baathists'," he told Al Jazeera.
"It's always al-Qaeda and pro-Baathist [elements that are blamed]. There is no talking about security infiltration, or the security failures in the Iraqi government."
http://english.aljazeera.(...)910264147894534.html