UNITED NATIONS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council condemned on Tuesday the attack by a rebel group in Sudan's Darfur region, the Justice and Equality Movement, on the capital, Khartoum, on Saturday.

    In a statement read out by Britain's UN ambassador John Sawers, the council's president for this month, the council urged restraint on all sides and warned against any retaliatory action that affected civilian populations or regional stability.

    It urged all parties to cease violence, respect their obligations under humanitarian law and to commit themselves to a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues through political processes.

    It also called upon all States in the region to cooperate in ending the activities of armed groups and their attempts to seize power by force.

    The council also condemned all attempts at destabilization by force and reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Sudan.