United Nations condemns Jakarta bombings

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council condemned the bomb blasts that killed eight people in two hotels in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Friday and said it was confident the government would bring the culprits to justice.

An official statement read out at a specially convened meeting of the 15-nation body said the council "condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks."

"The Security Council underlines the need, and affirms its confidence in the government of Indonesia to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice," it said.

Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the bombings and praised "the steadfast efforts that the Indonesian government has made in bringing to justice perpetrators of past terrorist acts."

Speaking to reporters, Indonesia's U.N. Ambassador Marty Natalegawa declined to speculate on who was behind the blasts or to connect it with political events such as last week's re-election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Suspicion has fallen on the Jemaah Islamiah militant group, blamed for previous attacks in Indonesia.

Natalegawa said Indonesia was going to carry out "good, old-fashioned policing work" to find the perpetrators.

"Let me assure you of one point. These people who perpetrated these heinous acts, they may be able to try to run, but they cannot hide, and the long reach of the law will reach them and they will be brought to justice," he said.

(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; Editing by Anthony Boadle)