March 30, 10

NEWS / UN chief accepts Pakistans request to delay release of report on Bhutto killing

30 March 2010 – The presentation of the report of the independent United Nations probe looking into the facts and circumstances of the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, which had been scheduled for today, has been delayed until 15 April at the request of the country’s President.

“The Secretary-General has accepted an urgent request by the President of Pakistan [Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Ms. Bhutto] to delay the presentation of the report of the Commission of Inquiry,” a spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

The three-member Commission, headed by Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, was set up following a request from the Pakistani Government and began its work in July 2009.

Mr. Ban met today in New York with the members of the Commission, which also includes Marzuki Darusman, the former attorney-general of Indonesia, and Peter Fitzgerald, a veteran of the Irish National Police who has also served the UN in a number of capacities.

“The Commission has informed the Secretary-General that, as of today, all relevant facts and circumstances have been explored, and the report is now complete and ready to be delivered,” the statement added.

The Commission, whose term ends tomorrow, will submit its report to Mr. Ban, who will share the report with the Pakistani Government and submit it to the Security Council for information.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34244&Cr=pakistan&Cr1=