World Jewish News

Latvian president apologizes war crimes

Standing in the grounds of Beit Hanassi at a state reception hosted for her by President Moshe Katsav, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, looking directly at the Israeli military honor guard standing in front of her, apologized to the Jewish people for Latvian war crimes.
"We are deeply sorry about the participation of Latvia in the atrocities of the Holocaust," she said, adding that Latvia was deeply committed to its children growing up with a full understanding of what happened under Nazi and Soviet occupation, including the collaboration that occurred.
Taking her cue from Katsav, who had referred to parallels in Israeli and Latvian history, Vike-Freiberga said that Latvia, which for most of its history has been under foreign domination, has a special sympathy for the people of Israel in their striving for independence.
As for the current situation, the Latvian president expressed Latvia's wish and that of other EU countries for a peaceful settlement, and has urged Hamas to accept the basic standards of international law and international intercourse and to continue a way of peaceful coexistence so that people can have a future free of fear.

Источник: jpost.com