German Chancellor Offers Condolences to Concorde Victims' FamiliesGerman Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder led world reaction to the crash of an Air France Concorde jet Tuesday in Paris, saying, "Germany and France are united in their horror over the accident."Nearly all the passengers aboard the New York-bound supersonic jet were Germans beginning a world-class luxury tour by air and cruise ship that included stops in Florida and Cuba and connected to a cruise to Sydney, Australia, one day before the beginning of the Olympics there. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin rushed to the crash site with Transportation Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot. "This accident is extremely serious," Jospin said. "I am thinking about all the victims, the crew, and our friends in Germany who made up most of the passengers. I have also conveyed my condolences to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder." French President Jacques Chirac, still in Japan for the Group of Eight economic summit, also sent condolences to victims' families, while U.S. President Bill Clinton, back in Washington, said he wanted to "extend the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who were lost." |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |