Caribbean victims mourned

NEW YORK, CMC:

THE CARIBBEAN yesterday mourned its dead and the other victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Caribbean government leaders, diplomats, business persons and others packed the Riverside Church in New York Sunday afternoon for a service carried live on radio and television throughout the region courtesy of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

The main speaker at the service, Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, urged the world to let the lives of the victims "be an inspiration to those left behind to enter into a peaceful unity with our fellow citizens of this universe. Let their memorial be the building of a world with a spirit of respect and understanding that avoids conflict and engenders harmony".

More than 50 persons from the Caribbean were reported missing after terrorists flew commuter aircraft into the World Trade Center's twin towers. The terrorists also flew a hijacked aircraft into the Pentagon (defence headquarters) and a fourth hijacked airliner crashed in a wooded area of Pennsylvania.

More than 5,000 persons, including employees and visitors, were reported missing, presumed dead, after the WTC's twin towers crumbled.

Prime Minister Patterson spoke of an "avalanche of evil that had descended simultaneously on New York and on Washington" in September.

"September 11 was an epic tragedy," he said. "This date will be indelibly etched in our memory and in all historical annals. It marked a defining moment in the history of mankind... The world will never be the same again."

Mr. Patterson, speaking on behalf of the member countries of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, said the loss of so many lives in such "a vicious and unprecedented manner" shook the international community to the core.

He said "every nation has been plunged into a new awareness of danger and a heightened level of fear, anxiety and insecurity...", adding:

"Old assumptions about international security have been completely shattered. A disturbing reality has impelled brand new thinking on security considerations at home and abroad."

He said the events of September 11 had caused "serious disruptions in the global economy".

"The attacks and subsequent developments have been specially devastating to tourism in our region, to aviation, financial services and our agriculture," the Jamaican leader told the gathering that included the CARICOM Secretary-General, Edwin Carrington.

"But we do not intend to allow the dastard act of terrorists to derail carefully designed strategies for the realisation of our dreams of a fulfilling life for the people of our region....

"We will not render evil for evil. We will not abandon our determination to preserve a Caribbean that is peaceful, law-abiding, economically dynamic and politically stable, one that is safe and secure for our citizens and visitors alike."

Patterson said that while the Caribbean would continue to condemn unequivocally terrorism in all its forms, "we must remain no less resolute in the fight against injustice, intolerance, and ignorance in any form..."

The service here brought together a range of religious denominations. One Muslim spokesman said that while Muslims had been blamed for the killings, Islam was a religion of peace and the vast majority of Muslims openly abhorred the crime and expressed condolences to the victims and their families.

Back to News