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| By: Israel Insider staff and partners |
| Published: January 5, 2006 |
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* "On behalf of all Americans, we send our best wishes and hopes to the prime minister and his family." - U.S. President George W. Bush.
* French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Sharon wishes for a speedy recovery.
Chirac said he hoped "the courageous initiatives that Mr. Sharon embarked on - which were praised by the entire international community - will continue."
* Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi said, "This is a very painful event on a human level and an absolutely negative one on the political level." Speaking on a radio show, Berlusconi said Israel now "faces a difficult future in a moment that might have been historic."
Jewish communities in Rome and Paris were set to hold vigils for Sharon on Thursday evening.
* Japan's Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi postponed his trip to Israel due the grave illness of his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon, Japan's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
"I am worried about his condition. I hope he will recover soon," Koizumi told a group of reporters. Koizumi said that he is also concerned about the impact of Sharon's illness on the Middle East peace process.
"The peace in the Middle East has an impact on the whole world. Japan needs to continue considering what it can do to contribute," he said. Koizumi sent a letter to Ehud Olmert, Israel's acting prime minister, expressing his wish for Sharon's early recovery, according to the Foreign Ministry.
* German Chancellor Angela Merkel wished Ariel Sharon a speedy recovery Thursday after the Israeli prime minister underwent emergency surgery.
"My thoughts are with Ariel Sharon and his family at this time," Merkel said, according to her office. "I wish him a speedy recovery from the bottom of my heart."
The AP contributed to this report. |
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