Africa News
We will not be intimidated, Ban says in Algiers available (2nd Roundup)
By DPA
Dec 18, 2007, 18:28 GMT

Algiers - The United Nations will not let itself be intimidated by terrorism and will remain in Algeria, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday in the Algerian capital Algiers, where 17 UN staff workers died in a terrorist attack earlier this month.

'We will not let ourselves be intimidated,' Ban said after talks with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. 'All our agencies will continue their work in Algeria.'

He said UN officials were in contact with Algerian authorities about finding new, secure offices.

Ban said he was returning to New York with the UN flag that was flying above the offices that were destroyed in the December 11 car bombing.

'It symbolizes the sacrifices made by the members of our staff and our determination not to be intimidated,' he said.

Earlier Tuesday, Ban said he had come to Algeria to declare his solidarity and that of the international community with the victims of the twin car bombings which targeted the seat of the Algerian Constitutional Council and the offices of several UN agencies.

The death toll in that attack has climbed to 41, with another 20 people still hospitalized with injuries, according to Algerian Minister for National Solidarity Djamel Ould Abbas.

Algerian media, citing hospital sources, have put the death toll from the bombings as high as 72.