U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned Tuesday's cold-blooded murder of Lebanese cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel and offered his sympathies to the industry minister's family and the people of Lebanon, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Gemayel believed strongly in an independent, democratic, and united Lebanon, Dujarric told reporters. "The secretary-general reiterates that such acts of terrorism undermine Lebanon's stability, are unacceptable, and have no place in a democratic and open society." The secretary-general calls upon all parties to maintain national unity at this critical moment, said Dujarric.
