The U.N. Security Council called an emergency session on Tuesday to denounce a car bombing in Lebanon that wounded Lebanon's defense minister and killed two people. Diplomats said the meeting, requested by France, was expected to end in the issuance of a statement condemning the bombing, which ripped through the motorcade of Defense Minister Elias al-Murr in the suburb of Antelias north of Beirut. "Obviously each time there is a bomb in Lebanon, it is a source of concern and worry," Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters as he arrived at U.N. headquarters on Tuesday after a week of travel. "Lebanon has made lots of progress -- the Syrian troops and the security apparatus have withdrawn, they have had a very fair and peaceful election -- but the situation is still fragile and we need to be concerned when these attacks take place," he said. "We need to remain vigilant." Chief U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric later said Annan "strongly urges the government of Lebanon to exert every effort to bring to justice those behind this and previous crimes that appear aimed at destabilizing the situation." "He calls upon all parties to work towards a united and democratic Lebanon," Dujarric said.
