Brussels, 06/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Italian Presidency, on behalf of the EU, and Romano Prodi, the President of the European Commission, have spoken out against Saturday's suicide bombing in Haïfa (Israel). Here follows the Presidency's declaration:
"On behalf of the European Union, the Italian Presidency firmly condemns the suicide bombing in Haïfa that has, once again, caused the death and injury of numerous innocent civilians. The European Union Ministers for Foreign Affairs, meeting in Rome for the Intergovernmental Conference, have expressed their deepest condolences for the victims of this new and extremely serious explosion of violence. They reiterate the absolute necessity to end the spiralling violence in the Middle East with a view to reviving dialogue within the context of the peace process and according to the guidelines mapped out by the Quartet".
"I wish to express all my compassion for the families of the victims, and my sincere hope for a speedy recovery for the injured. There is no justification whatsoever for taking the lives of innocent civilians. Terror can never be justified. There is no alternative to the peace process and the European Commission supports the Quartet's work towards negotiating a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which should lead to the creation of two independent States living side by side in peace", said Romano Prodi (our translation of his words).