World Leaders React to Polish President's Death Skip to main content

World Leaders React to Polish President's Death

Photo: AP
In this March 15, 2010 file photo Polish President Lech Kaczynski and wife Maria are seen in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw

 World leaders Saturday expressed their sorrow at the loss of Poland's president, his wife and a host of senior government officials in a plane crash in western Russia.


Deep felt condolences are pouring in from around the world to the tragic loss of life of President Kaczynski and his party on the plane that crashed just short of the runway at Smolensk airport in fog-shrouded conditions.

In a written statement, President Barack Obama said the loss was devastating to Poland, to the United States and to the world.

Mr. Obama expressed his sympathies in a phone call to Poland's prime minister.

He called Lech Kaczynski a distinguished statesman who was widely admired in the United States and he said there were heavy hearts across America.

In Britain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the Polish president, calling him one of the defining actors in the country's modern political history. "I think the whole world will be saddened and in sorrow as a result of this tragic death in a plane crash of President Kaczynski and his wife Maria, and the party that were with them. I think we know the difficulties that Poland has gone through, the sacrifices that he himself has made as part of the Solidarity movement and we know the contribution he made to the independence and freedom of Poland," he said.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel called it a political and human tragedy for Poland. She said Mr. Kaczyski was a real lobbyist for his country, a country he loved.…She said he was a leader who was dedicated to the fight for Poland's freedom and Europe's freedom.

In France, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said it was shocking news. "It was a huge, an immense shock and of course I did address my condolences to the people of Poland, to the government and to my good friend, the minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Sikorski. And I called him of course, he told me that it was a fantastic sorrow and shock among all the Polish population," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said it was a grave loss.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Mr. Kaczynski had served his country with distinction and conviction and was deservedly respected internationally.

VOA
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more