Parliament, UN, EU condemn suicide bombing terrorist attack at Bulgarian airport: Updated
Bulgaria’s Parliament has approved a motion condemning the July 18 2012 terrorist attack at the country’s Sarafovo Airport in the Black Sea city of Bourgas, in which a suicide bomber took the lives of seven people, mostly Israeli tourists. Parliament called on the responsible institutions to identify the organisers and perpetrators of the terrorist attack
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns in “the strongest possible terms” the deadly bombing attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, according to Ban’s spokesperson.
“The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to the victims and their families, to the Governments and people of Bulgaria and Israel,” the spokesperson said.
EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that the European Commission “strongly condemns the horrific terror attack against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria. Our thoughts go to victims, their families and beloved ones in Bulgaria and in Israel.”
Malmström contacted her Bulgarian counterpart last night to offer the support of the European Commission. Europol also stands ready to assist Bulgarian authorities in its investigations if requested.
“The European Commission reiterates its strong commitment to stand beside EU member states in fighting against these barbaric acts and in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” Malmström said.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said on July 19 that the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, William Hague; of Croatia, Vesna Pusić; and of Hungary, János Martonyi, had held telephone conversations with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov, conveying their condolences regarding the victims of the bombing at Sarafovo airport yesterday.
Hague offered the UK’s assistance in investigating the details of the blast.
In statements, condolences also were expressed by Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Romania, Poland, Italy, Norway, the Russian Federation, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Cyprus, Kosovo, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Slovenia and Ukraine.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed the terrorist attack on Iran. According to reports quoting Iranian state television, Iran has rejected the allegation as “ridiculous”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always considered terror and terrorism as inhuman phenomenon. Whoever or whatever organization has perpetrated it and whatever its objective has been, Iran condemns it and declares it unacceptable,” the Iranian embassy in Sofia said in a statement, reported on July 19 by Bulgarian news agency BTA.
Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said on July 19 that no one had claimed responsibility for the attack.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
