109/2004
EU, UN Condemn Beslan Killings And Call For Multilateral Action

The European Commission issued a statement this week expressing its shock and deep sadness at the news of the deaths of the Beslan hostages in Northern Ossetia. "Killing of these innocent people is an evil, despicable act of barbarism," said Romano Prodi, President of the Commission. "The fact that many of them appear to have been young children murdered in cold blood is simply horrible."

The Commission reiterated its condemnation of all forms of terrorism fully and unconditionally and said that it regretted that the crisis could not have been solved peacefully; however, it acknowledged that blame could not be put on anyone but those who committed what it called 'this heinous crime.' “I would like to express my deepest and sincerest condolences to the families of the victims who will have to live with the memory of this horrible day. The fight against terrorism is a common cause to all peace-loving peoples and governments of the world," said Mr Prodi.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that the brutal and senseless slaughter"of children only served to emphasise the need for the world community to come together in confronting terrorism. "Even without what happened in Beslan, we are all aware of the terrible toll terrorism has taken on people and nations around the world, and the need for the international community of nations to come together and work to confront this phenomenon. What happened in Russia underscores that point even more."

Mr. Annan reiterated his oft-repeated call for multilateralism and the important role that the UN had to play in that field. Pointing to the European Union as a great example of how regions and governments have demonstrated that coming together to work together enhances the progress of countries and individuals, he added: "So I think on the question of multilateralism, I think the world is on our side."