Annan deplores deliberate killings, terror acts; urges for resuming talks

"Dismayed" by the escalating violence in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned on Monday Israeli practice of deliberate killings, and appealed to both the Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks.

A spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement that Annan urged both parties to focus their energies on the implementation of recommendations contained in US senator Mitchell's report, embraced by both sides.

Annan's spokesman Fred Eckhard also said that the Secretary-General "is also disturbed by the fact that Israel continues to use its armed forces for the deliberate killing of pre-selected Palestinian individuals. The Secretary-General has already condemned this practice, which violates human rights law as well as general principles of law, Eckhard said.

"Israel's continued use of it can only further inflame an already very dangerous situation," the spokesman added. "The Secretary-General appeals once again to the Government of Israel to put an end to it."