ID :
315415
Tue, 01/28/2014 - 11:34
Auther :

UN Chief Condemns Assassination Of Iranian Diplomat In Yemen

Tehran, Jan 28, IRNA – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the assassination of an Iranian diplomat in Yemen, calling for the perpetrators of the crime be brought to justice. The Associate Spokesperson for the UN Chief Farhan Haq said at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday that Ban had expressed condolences to the family of the assassinated commercial attaché of the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a, Abolqasem Assadi, and the Iranian government over the incident. Haq also said that the UN chief is concerned over the continuation of the terrorist attacks and hostage-takings in Yemen, and calls for the immediate release of all hostages in Yemen. According to the 1979 International Convention, hostage-taking is an offense of grave concern to the international community, Haq recalled. On January 18, Assadi was gunned down by members of a terrorist group outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital. The assailants first tried to kidnap the diplomat but when the faced resistance, they opened fire on him. The diplomat was seriously injured and passed away in the hospital. Following the incident, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Yemeni chargé dˈaffaires to protest the incident. The Yemeni official was reminded that under international rules and regulations, governments are responsible for the security of foreign diplomats. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said on January 22 that Tehran will soon dispatch a delegation to Yemen to investigate the assassination. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry has denounced the attack, stating that authorities are determined to bring the attackers to justice. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Sunday that the terrorists behind the assassination of one of the country’s diplomats in Yemen have been identified. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a memorial service held in Tehran on Friday to honor Abolqasem Assadi, the Iranian diplomat assassinated in Yemen, Amir Abdollahian announced that perpetrators of the terrorist attack have been identified. Amir Abdollahian, however, refused to provide more details about the issue. Elsewhere in his remarks, the deputy foreign minister pointed to the establishment of an investigative committee to study the assassination case, and noted, “After the investigation, the name of the country involved in the assassination of the Iranian diplomat will be announced.” And in a separate development following the terrorist attack, the Iranian foreign ministry issued a statement on January 19, and condemned the bloody attack as an “inhumane and terrorist act.” The statement also noted that such a terrorist attack unveils the violent and extremist nature of the Takfiri (extremist) groups, which have targeted the unity and solidarity in the Islamic Ummah (society). The foreign ministry, however, stressed that it will exploit all its political and legal potential to pursue the case seriously, in cooperation with the Yemeni officials, in order to prosecute and punish those terrorists behind the assassination of the Iranian diplomat./end

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