U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the recent bombings in Georgia's breakaway Republic of  Abkhazia that have killed four people and wounded 16.

The secretary-general noted that the victims included U.N staff members. He is calling on all parties to exercise restraint, refrain from violence and work for a peaceful and lasting settlement in the area.

Monday's statement came just hours after a bomb blast at a cafe in the Abkhazian town of Gali killed four people, including a local security chief and a U.N. translator.

The Georgian government has denied any involvement in the attack.

Russia, which backs the separatists, recently moved to strengthen ties with leaders in Abkhazia despite opposition from Georgian authorities.

Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region, South Ossetia, declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, sparking fighting and the dispatch of Russian peacekeepers to the regions.  Georgia has vowed to bring the territories back under central government control.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.