Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday strongly condemned Sunday's Istanbul bombings.

"The Secretary General strongly condemns yesterday's bombings in Istanbul...(and) his sympathies to the families of the victims and the wounded," his spokeswoman Michele Montas said in a statement.

Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security policy, on Monday said in a statement, "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the despicable bombing attack that took many innocent lives and injured dozens of people in Istanbul yesterday evening."

"Turkey can count on the support of the European Union. I hope that the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist act will be swiftly brought to justice," Solana said.

White House, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, as well as Spanish and Iranian governments condemned the Istanbul terrorist attacks.

In a word, thousands of shocked and angry residents in Istanbul blamed the PKK rebels on Monday for the two bomb explosions and Turkey was trying to get support from the international community in a bid to fight against terrorism.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2008)