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janeiro 05, 2005
Europe to fall silent for Asia quake victims
Fonte: France Press
Europe will fall silent for three minutes at midday (1100 GMT) to pay tribute to the victims of south Asia's tsunami disaster.
Flags will fly at half mast across the continent to commemorate the some 150,000 people killed by the catastrophe, including hundreds if not thousands of European tourists who lost their lives.
The continent-wide tribute has been called for by the current Luxembourg presidency of the European Union, which is seeking to coordinate European governments' aid efforts.
All Europeans are called on "to observe three minutes of silence in order to show solidarity and mourn the victims of the disaster," said European Commission spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber.
The symbolic commemoration comes as the German government is expected to announce the biggest aid donation to the 11 countries hit by the tidal waves on December 26, of 500 million euros, according to government sources.
If confirmed, that would more than double the total aid pledged by the EU and its 25 member countries so far.
In Britain, which will pay silent tribute one hour after the rest of the continent, the royal family will join millions of Britons for three minutes, a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed.
The London Stock Exchange also said it would be observing the three-minute silence, while in Germany bankers and traders at the Frankfurt stock exchange will pay their respects.
With massive amounts of public and private funds pouring in, EU aid, health and foreign ministers are also planning a emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday to define the bloc's approach to the crisis.
As well as government aid, people and companies across Europe continued to pour funds into the tsunami relief effort, supplementing government donations with tens of millions of euros in financial aid, food and supplies.
In France, Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) took the unusual step Tuesday of calling on the public not to give it any more money for this crisis because all its projects in the region were fully funded.
While most EU countries are expected to follow the call, Denmark has said it will not because a two-minute silence was held on Sunday.
"The government, having consulted the parties in parliament, has decided not to follow the EU initiative. It would be too much," said a spokesman for Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
In a related development both houses of the US Congress on Tuesday passed resolutions expressing deep sympathy for victims of the Asian tsunami and pledged US support in ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
The Senate measure approved by a voice vote, "fully supports the long-term commitment and engagement of the United States to provide financial aid and other forms of direct and indirect assistance to the countries and peoples of the region impacted by the powerful earthquake and devastating tsunami."
The resolution was approved as a Senate delegation, led by Majority Leader Bill Frist, prepared to depart late Tuesday for Sri Lanka, India and other countries affected by the disaster.
A similar measure was also passed by the House of Representatives, also by a voice vote.
Publicado por esta às janeiro 5, 2005 11:09 AM