Massacre shocks world

LONDON, JUNE 2. World leaders have expressed shock over the massacre which virtually wiped out the Nepalese royal family last night.``The Queen and the Prince of Wales are deeply shocked and saddened,'' a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. Prince Charles' spokesperson said the two heirs to the respective thrones had met several times. ``They certainly knew each other quite well.''

In his reaction, the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, said ``I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the people of Nepal following the dreadful tragedy.'' The royal family of Nepal ``have many, many ties with this country,'' he told reporters in northern England, where he was campaigning for the June 7 elections.

Bush `saddened'

The U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, said he was ``deeply saddened and shocked'' by the untimely deaths of the Nepalese King and other members of his family. ``I send my condolences to the Nepalese people during this difficult period, our prayers are with the Government and people of Nepal,'' Mr. Bush said in a statement from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.

The U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, was ``profoundly shocked'' by the killings. ``He is deeply saddened by this tragedy,'' a statement issued by a U.N. spokesman said, ``he extends his heart-felt condolences to the people of Nepal and calls for calm and stability in this difficult period.''

The Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, condoled the tragedy, the Ministry spokesman, Mr. Alexander Yakovenko, said. According to Mr. Yakovenko, the Ministry and its embassy in Kathmandu continued to closely follow the developments in Nepal, Ria Novosti reported from Moscow.

Pope extends prayers

Pope John Paul II sent a condolence telegram to the Regent, Prince Gyanendra, saying he assured the ``Royal Highness and the Government and people of Nepal'' of his prayers for the deceased. He prayed for the ``divine blessings of comfort and peace upon all who are in mourning.''

Expressing shock and grief, General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's Chief Executive, said in his message to the Nepalese Prime Minister, Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala, the late King was a popular monarch who made a singular contribution to the democratic evolution of Nepal. The Pakistanis joined him in extending the condolences to the people of Nepal, he said in a statement from Islamabad.

The Bangladesh President, Mr. Shahabuddin Ahmed, said in a message that he was ``deeply shocked and saddened.'' The Prime Minister, Ms. Sheikh Hasina Wajid, said ``the late King was an ardent lover of democracy and under his able patronage, representative democracy has been flourishing in Nepal.''

The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, expressed shock and said the tragic demise ``will be deeply mourned not only in Nepal but also in the entire South Asian region.''

In a statement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ``we are shocked and saddened at the news of the tragic death of the King and Queen and other members of the royal family.''

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Section  : International
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