.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced outrage at yet another terrorist attack in Lebanon, U.N. Spokesperson Marie Okabe said Wednesday.
In a statement released by the spokesperson, Ban strongly condemns this act of violence and terror on the Lebanese Armed Forces, a symbol of Lebanon's sovereignty."
Okabe told reporters at the U.N. Headquarters in New York that Ban reiterates his position that this and previous attacks aimed at undermining Lebanon's sovereignty are unacceptable, adding that "it is imperative that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice."
Okabe said that the Secretary-General calls on the Lebanese for calm and restraint at this critical juncture in their history.
"Their political leaders must exert every possible effort to resolve differences and arrive at a solution for an immediate presidential election, without conditionality, in accordance with constitutional rules," the spokesperson observed.
A car explosion went off at about 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Wednesday morning in the Christian town of Baabda in eastern Beirut, killing General Hajj and two of his bodyguards, security sources said.
It came as Lebanon, which has been locked in a political impasse arisen from a power struggle between the governing coalition and the opposition, is facing its worst crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
A presidential election scheduled for Tuesday was postponed for the 8th time till Dec. 17 to give rival leaders more time for reaching a deal on electing Commander Suleiman as the country's new president.
Source: Xinhua/agencies
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