UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the attack on the French embassy in Libya, saying it is "not acceptable and never justifiable."

"The secretary-general condemns, in the strongest terms, the attack on the French embassy in Tripoli on 23 April and sends his sympathies to the victims and their families," said a statement read to the press here by Ban's deputy spokesperson, Eduardo del Buey.

The French embassy in the Libyan capital was hit by a car bomb early on Tuesday, injuring two French guards and causing heavy damage to the building.

"The secretary-general is confident that the Libyan authorities will take every action to ensure that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to justice and that adequate protection for diplomatic premises is provided," the statement said.

While calling on "all Libyans to support their government's efforts to establish strong and effective security institutions," Ban pledged that the United Nations would remain committed to assisting the Libyan government and people with the process of building a democratic state and affirming the rule of law. Endi