November 14, 2015 UPDATE

The French President Francois Hollande on Saturday announced three days of national mourning following Friday nights terrorist attacks in Paris that killed almost 130 people.

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Newsroom, 14.11.2015, 21:40

The French President Francois Hollande on Saturday announced three days of national mourning following Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris that killed almost 130 people, according to a provisional death toll. According to the French prosecutor, François Molins, over 350 people have been wounded, of whom almost 100 are in a serious condition. The Romanian Foreign Ministry informed that two Romanian citizens are among the dead. Another two Romanians have been slightly injured: one is in hospital and the other has already been discharged. The Jihadist group the Islamic State has claimed the attacks. “France will have no pity” said the French president who asked the French people to be united and keep a cold head. Following the tragedy, a state of emergency was declared in France and temporary customs controls have been reintroduced. 6 near-simultaneous attacks took place in various locations in Paris. Tens of people were taken hostage and killed in the famous Bataclan concert hall where a rock concert was under way. Explosions were heard in the “Stade de France” area in the north, and also in the east and center, where the terrorists opened fire on crowded places. According to the French prosecutor, François Molins, there were three teams of attackers involved in the assault on Paris, some of them being from Syria and Iraq. 7 terrorists died during the attacks.

The French ambassador to Bucharest, François Saint-Paul, on Saturday thanked the Romanian authorities for the support provided after Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris and for the solidarity messages received. According to the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis these attacks should be a signal for the entire international community that should become more determined to fight terrorism and defend human values. A book of condolence has been placed at the French embassy in Bucharest in which various public personalities from Romania recorded their condolence messages. On Sunday afternoon a meeting for solidarity and unity will be held in front of the French embassy in Bucharest for all the French citizens who want to express their support and show solidarity, a meeting at which Romanian citizens are also expected. In Paris, in sign of solidarity with the French people, the Romanian embassy lowered the national flag at half-mast. In another development, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has activated a crisis unit and the Romanian Intelligence Service pointed out that the level of terrorist alert would not be changed.

13 people who were injured in the October 30th fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest continue to be in a critical state. According to data provided by the Health Ministry, on Saturday morning 56 people were still in the care of Bucharest hospitals and around 30 are being treated in Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, Israel and the Netherlands. So far 55 young people have died following the terrible fire. The fire at the rock concert that was attended by several hundreds people started from the fireworks used in the show. Many of the people who were in the club on October 30th sustained burns but the great number of deaths was due to poisoning with toxic fumes.

The unprecedented attacks in Paris marked Saturday’s meeting in Vienna focusing on the situation in Syria. The meeting was attended by representatives from 20 countries and international organizations. More determined than ever to fight terrorism, the participants agreed on a concrete timetable regarding the formation of a Syrian transition government in the next 6 months and the organization of elections in the next 18 months. In spite of all that, there are still divergent opinions on the situation in Syria. While Russia and Iran support Damascus, the US and its European and Arab allies support certain groups in opposition and ask for the resignation of the Syrian president Bashar al Assad. Another international meeting on the Syrian issue will take place in about one month.

The structure of the new Romanian government and the governing program are expected to be presented by Sunday. The hearing of the future ministers is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday when Parliament is expected to vote for the new ministers. The prime minister designate Dacian Ciolos has not ruled out a new round of negotiations with some parliamentary parties ahead of presenting the list of ministers. We recall that in the wake of the devastating fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, the Social Democrat PM Victor Ponta resigned following the pressure of the street protests in which tens of thousands of Romanians participated. The protesters denounced the corruption of the central and local authorities.