UN chief condemns desecration of holy Quran

UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the recent burning of the Koran in a church in the United States in Florida, adding that "such actions can not be tolerated by any religion," the spokesman of the UN Nesirky Martin told reporters.

Ban made the remarks at a meeting Tuesday with a group of ambassadors representing the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the spokesman said.

The Secretary General said: "Such actions contradict the efforts of the United Nations and many people around the world to promote tolerance, intercultural understanding and mutual respect between cultures and religions."

Terry Jones, pastor of a church in Gainesville, Florida, oversaw the burning of a copy of the Islamic holy book March 20. The church had threatened to burn multiple copies of the Quran last year to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9 / 11 terrorist attacks.

Reiterating the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations report on the desecration of a sacred text, Ban said "no religion condones the killing of innocent people."

Meanwhile, protests have erupted across Afghanistan after news of the burning of the Koran that led to deadly violence.

April 1, demonstrators in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan has exceeded a UN compound and killed seven international staff members working with the UN Mission of Support in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Ban added that such an attack can not be justified under any circumstance, the spokesman of the UN.