The Secretary-General was very sad to learn of the death of Dr Akila al-Hashemi, the member of the Iraqi Governing Council who was attacked last Saturday. He considers such murderous use of violence wholly inexcusable, and likely only to retard the process of establishing a broad-based and representative government in Iraq, to which sovereignty can be transferred. He sends his sincere condolences to Dr. al-Hashemi's family, and to the Governing Council.