Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the violence in Iraq

The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms the continuing violence in Iraq, which was accentuated yesterday by the death of more than 100 people throughout the country, including in the coordinated bombing of a crowded market in Baghdad. These brutal crimes came on the anniversary of the heinous bombing of the Holy Shrine in Samarra, which was also aimed at escalating sectarian violence.

The Secretary-General calls on the Iraqi authorities and the Iraqi people to resist attempts to foment sectarian violence.