UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Tuesday with a group of ambassadors from Muslim countries and reiterated his condemnation of the recent burning of a copy of the Holy Quran by a Florida pastor. "He condemned the incident and said such actions cannot be condoned by any religion," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
"He 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." Ban met with ambassadors from Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, and Tajikistan and the permanent observers for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Palestinian Authority.
Self-styled pastor Terry Jones reportedly mounted a mock trial of the Holy Quran last month and burned a copy at his church in Gainesville, Florida. Jones last year threatened to burn the Holy Quran to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, but backed down at the time following massive condemnation within the United States.