Brussels / Moscow, 22/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - Javier Solana, EU High Representative for CSFP, contacted Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov after Moscow's decision to terminate the rescue operation of the Kursk atomic submarine wrecked at the bottom of the Barents Sea in the light of yesterday's assessment that there was no hope of finding survivors. "Like so many Europeans, I have followed the rescue operation with lingering hope and mounting anxiety. Just as we have shared the desperate hope of the Russian people that survivors would be found, now we share their deeply felt grief. Our thoughts go out in particular to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives", said Mr Solana.
In Moscow, Admiral Popov, responsible for the Northern Fleet, affirmed in an interview that the disaster had been caused by a "collision" and that he would spend the rest of his days seeking those responsible (Ed.: Moscow had said that the collision had been caused by a foreign submarine, probably British, but this is denied by London).