President of the European Parliament: Buzek on the deadly blast at Egyptian church Warsaw/Brussels
The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek sends his condolences and support to the families of the victims following the car bomb explosion outside a church in the north Egyptian city of Alexandria after the New Year's service last night. According to news wires the blast killed 21 people and injured at least another 43.
President Buzek said: "I am very sad that the Christians in Egypt had to pay with their lives while celebrating New Year. I condemn this attack with the strongest possible means. On behalf of the European Parliament I call for calm and understanding between the Muslim and Christian communities of Egypt. I hope that 2011 will bring peace and harmony among the religious communities of the country. Egypt must ensure protection of its Christian minority.
I call the Egyptian authorities to do everything to reveal who was exactly at the root of this dreadful attack and to bring them to justice.
It is clear that there are some fundamentalist elements seeking to create sectarian division within Egyptian society where Christianity has been an integral part of the fabric of society for two millennia.
The European Parliament is very concerned about these developments. We are strong defenders of human rights, including freedom of religion. We have been monitoring the situation closely and adopted a number of resolutions to try to draw international attention to the plight of Christian minorities in the Middle East."
For further information:
Robert A. Golanski
Deputy Spokesman
Mobile: +32 475 751 663
Delia Vlase
Press Officer,
Mobile: +32 476 331 038