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2nd LD Writethru: United Nations slams deadly terrorist attacks in Tunisia

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned the deadly terrorist attack against the Tunisian Presidential Guard bus in Tunis, Tunisia, which killed at least 12 people.

The secretary-general, in a statement issued here by his spokesman, offered his condolences to the families of the victims and the people and government of Tunisia.

"The secretary-general reiterates that the United Nations will continue to stand with the people of Tunisia as they confront the scourge of terrorism and continue to consolidate and strengthen their democracy," the statement said.

In a separate statement to the press here, the Security Council condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack, and "underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism to justice."

Another 14 people were reportedly wounded after a bus carrying presidential security guards exploded in downtown Tunis on Tuesday.

"The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous act and to the government of Tunisia," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act 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 the Tunisian authorities in this regard," the statement said.

The 15-nation Security Council "stressed that no terrorist attack can reverse the path of Tunisia towards democracy and its efforts towards economic recovery and development," 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, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," it 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 law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law," the statement added.

The explosion came 10 days after Tunisian authorities deployed more security forces and increased security level in the capital.

Tunisia has been plagued by Islamist violence after the ouster of former President Ben Ali in 2011 uprisings.

Early this year, the Islamic State (IS) carried out two attacks targeting foreigners, hitting hard the country's tourism industry. Enditem