Tuesday, November 1 2005 09:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: The United Nations Security Council today (Nov 1, 2005) strongly condemned the weekend bomb attacks in New Delhi and made a strong plea for international cooperation for bringing those behind the 'reprehensible' act to justice.

The Security Council asked all member countries to 'cooperate actively' with India for finding the 'perpetrators, organizers, financers and sponsors' of the serial bomb blasts, suspected to have been carried out by Pakistan-based militant outfit Laskhar-e-Toiba.

The UNSC condemnation came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh categorically told Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that there were 'external linkages' of terrorists involved in the blasts and asked him to act against terrorism directed against India.

"The Security Council stresses the importance of bringing the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of violence to justice, and urges all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and resolutions to cooperate actively with the Indian authorities in this regard," it said in a statement.

"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the statement read by Council President Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said.

Describing terrorist violence as 'criminal' and 'unjustifiable', the Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Singh yesterday (Oct 31, 2005) told Musharraf that India expects Pakistan to act against terrorism directed against the country and asserted that terrorism would never weaken India's resolve or its commitment to the country's unity and territorial integrity.

Musharraf had telephoned him to convey condolences for those who lost their lives in the bombings and the train accident in Andhra Pradesh.

Pakistan, however, asked India to provide evidence to it about allegations of involvement of Laskhar-e-Toiba in the bomb blasts in two crowded markets and a bus, which killed 59 people and injured nearly 200 others.

Reacting to Singh's demand, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said India should share evidence with Pakistan so that it could investigate its allegations as without providing evidence it can only be a baseless allegation.

The Council also offered condolences to the victims of the deadly bomb blasts and their families and reiterated its determination to combat terrorism in all its forms.