The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the suicide attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul in which 41 people, including four Indian nationals, were killed and expressed determination to root out the scourge of terrorism.
In consensus presidential statement, the 15-member Council called for international efforts to bring the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this "reprehensible act" to justice and called on all governments to "cooperate actively" with the Afghan authorities in this regard.
It reaffirmed the need to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
The Council members expressed their condolences to the families of victims as well as people and governments of India and Afghanistan.
The statement also expressed concern at the threats posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, illegal armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics production and trafficking, to the local population, national security forces, international military and international assistance efforts in Afghanistan.
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.
They reiterated that no terrorist act can reverse the path towards peace, democracy and reconstruction in Afghanistan, which is supported by the people and the Government of Afghanistan and the international community.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Kai Eide condemned attack as "Cowardly and heinous crime." China also condemned the suicide bombing on the Indian embassy.
"We strongly denounce the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy. I sincerely express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the bombing in Afghanistan," Chinese President Hu Jintao told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when they met here on the sidelines of the G-8 summit.
