14 Sep. 2005

Ministers honour victims of terrorism On the second day of their informal meeting in Berlin, 14 September, NATO Ministers of Defence observed a minute of silence to commemorate victims of terrorism. “Before we begin our session, I would like to invite you to join me this morning, only a few days after the anniversary of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, in a minute of silence to remember all the victims of terrorism, not just in the US, but also in Madrid, Turkey, Beslan, London and elsewhere,” said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the opening of the meeting. During the meeting, which focused on the future of NATO and its missions, Ministers also discussed and reviewed NATO’s role in the international fight against terrorism. The Secretary General also paid tribute to the servicemen and women serving in NATO operations and missions. “We remember especially those who have been killed or injured in the line of duty,” he said. A minute of silence for victims of terrorism was also observed during an informal meeting of NATO Defence Ministers with their Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov.