June 19, 2009
The condemnation came as Turkish UN Ambassador Baki Ilkin, who holds the rotating presidency of the 15-nation council for June, was reading a statement to the press here.
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemn the suicide attack in Beledweyne on June 18 which killed Somali Minister of Security Omar Hashi Aden along with community leaders and other innocent Somalis," the statement said.
"The members of the council offer their sincere condolences to the families of those murdered or injured in the attack, as well as to the government and the people of Somalia," the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemn the recent increased fighting in Somalia and reiterate their continued and full support to the Transitional Federal Government, its efforts to achieve peace, security and reconciliation in Somali through the Djibouti Process as well as the work of the African Union Mission in Somali (AMISOM)," the statement added.
The United Nations on Thursday joined African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the Inter Governmental Agency on Development (IGAD) in eastern Africa and the League of Arab States (LAS) in strongly condemning the suicide bomb attack.
"This deplorable attack once again demonstrates that the extremists will stop at nothing in their desperate attempt to seize power from the legitimate government of Somalia by force," the five organizations said in a joint statement.
"These extremists, both Somali and
foreigners, failed in their recent attempt coup d'etat but are
continuing their indiscriminate violence," the joint statement said.
"They are a threat not only to the country, but to the IGAD region and
the international community."
SOURCE: Xinhua, June 19, 2009