UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday said he was concerned about the violence in Kyrgyzstan, where protesters have clashed with police after a disputed parliamentary vote.
"The secretary general is opposed to the use of violence and intimidation to resolve electoral and political disputes, and calls on all parties to apply restraint," Annan's spokesman said in a statement.
"Dialogue is the only viable means for addressing the current tensions," the statement said.
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev on Monday sought to contain demonstrations as opposition supporters took over government buildings to protest the victory of pro-presidential forces at the polls.
The opposition in Kyrgyzstan, a poor mountainous Central Asian nation of five million people, has staged a week of protests over a March election that saw its presence in parliament reduced to a handful of seats.
03/21/2005 19:12 GMT