ALDE’s Watson sends CALD message of support after Asian tsunami

(January 6, 2005/ Brussels, Belgium) Mr. Graham Watson, MEP, Leader of the Alliance of Liberals & Democrats for Europe (ALDE), expresses in a letter his and ALDE’s condolences to the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD). Many CALD member and observer parties are from countries affected by the Asian tsunami. He also mentions of initiatives and actions aimed at addressing the serious problems accompanying the disaster.

Aside from speaking in various occasions during the recently concluded ALDE-CALD Meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels last November, Mr. Watson was the speaker of the CALD Vision Mission Workshop in Penang, Malaysia last August. The Malaysian island was severely affected by the tsunami.

Below is the full text of Mr. Watson’s letter:

Dear Friends

It was with enormous regret and heartfelt sorrow that we woke up on December 26th to the dreadful news of devastation that had hit the coastal regions of the Indian ocean as a result of the powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami.

My thoughts, and those of my colleagues, go out to all those tens of thousands of victims and bereaved families in the region as well as countless more displaced and homeless. Images of death and destruction dominate our TV screens and newspapers on a daily basis. Many European countries are also coming to terms with significant numbers of their own nationals who are missing or confirmed dead. I wish to extend, on behalf of my Liberal Democrat colleagues in the European Parliament, to you and your fellow CALD representatives all our sympathy and condolences, particularly if anyone has lost a relative or loved one.

Events such as these remind us of the vulnerability of mankind to the tremendous forces of nature. Yet our technological and scientific know-how should be able to warn against pending disasters and reduce the loss of human life. We must learn the lessons from this tragedy. If any positive outcome can be drawn, it is that the international community finally seems to be showing signs of global community, of solidarity on an unprecedented scale and of a breaking down of traditional barriers. Whatever else divides the modern world, there is still an underlying thread of common humanity that unites us all.

Yesterday, on the initiative of the Luxembourg Presidency, the entire European Union was partaking in a day of mourning and solidarity with the victims of the tsunami. I attended a solemn ceremony with other leaders, commissioners and politicians in Brussels. Next week at our Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, we will be inviting both the European Commission and Council Presidency to update us on the situation and to outline the nature and degree of EU support for the region.

I have also written to our fellow Liberal Democrat Commissioner, Louis Michel, responsible for humanitarian aid, to lend him our full political and moral support in his efforts to release the maximum of European funding for relief aid from the European Union budget and to ensure that the reconstruction effort is effective and rapid.

We are all humbled by the scale of the tragedy and everyone feels a need to help in some way. Please rest assured of our sympathy and support both now and in the difficult months ahead.

(sgd) Graham Watson

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This post was written by CALD