Tripoli, 23 April 2013:
Both the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have condemned . . .[restrict]today’s attack on the French embassy in Tripoli and called on the Libyans authorities to bring the terrorists to justice.
A statement from the Secretary General’s office said that he “condemns, in the strongest terms, the attack on the French Embassy in Tripoli on 23 April and sends his sympathies to the victims and their families. The targeting of diplomatic missions and their staff is not acceptable and never justifiable”.
It continued: “The Secretary-General is confident that the Libyan authorities will take every action to ensure that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to justice and that adequate protection for diplomatic premises is provided. The Secretary-General calls on all Libyans to support their government’s efforts to establish strong and effective security institutions. The United Nations remains committed to assisting the Libyan Government and people with the process of building a democratic state and affirming the rule of law.”
For its part, the Security Council said it “condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack against the embassy of France in Tripoli” and expressed “deep sympathy to the families of the victims of this heinous act.”
It too said that the perpetrators had to be brought to justice.
Governments around the world have also condemned the attack.
The US government called on Libya to track down and punish those responible for the car bombing and said that it would provide France with any help on the case if required.
The UK government likewise said the bombers had to be caught and put on trial. “Our thoughts are with all those who have been injured, including our French colleagues, and we have offered the French Embassy any assistance that we can provide,” a British Foreign Office spokesperson said. [/restrict]
