SA condemns London blasts

2005-07-07 14:55

Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki has condemned the series of explosions on London's transport system on Thursday, which some reports say have killed 50 people.

"As South Africa, we join the rest of the international community in condemning any acts of terrorism," presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said from Gleneagles, Scotland, where Mbeki is attending a summit of the G8 group of developed nations.

"We believe there is no reason for anyone to resort to these kinds of things and kill innocent people. The sanctity of human life is something all of us must hold very dearly."

This applied even more at a time when leaders of the world's rich nations are gathered to deal with issues of "global apartheid" and poverty, Khumalo said.

Important issues like climate change, poverty and underdevelopment, especially in Africa, should not now be put on the backburner.

These were the main topics up for discussion at the G8 summit.

"In fact, we must even re-double our efforts to achieve results on these issues," Khumalo said.

- SAPA