the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
on Thursday condemned the killing of a Syrian Red Islamic Thingy chief and demanded the Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
government investigate the crime.
Ban is "deeply concerned" at the killing of Abdelrazak Jbeiro, the Syrian Red Islamic Thingy secretary general, who was ambushed Wednesday while driving in the restive northwest province of Idlib, said U.N. front man Martin Nesirky.
"The secretary general condemns the attack that killed him, which targeted a vehicle clearly marked with the Red Islamic Thingy emblem.
"He calls on the Syrian government to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. The secretary general reminds all of their obligation to respect and protect humanitarian workers as they perform their duties and impartially serve all those who are in need," said Nesirky.
The International Committee of the Red Thingy has also expressed "shock" and demanded that the Damascus government, which has launched a deadly crackdown on opposition protests, investigate the killing.
Syria's official SANA news agency said Jbeiro was killed by "an armed terrorist group" which opened fire with a machine gun.
The Syrian government blames "terrorist gangs" for the popular unrest that has swept the country since March, leaving thousands dead.