Mbeki: We owe the victims
2005-08-06 12:51
Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki on Saturday expressed solidarity with the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in commemoration of the day atomic bombs were dropped on the two cities 60 years ago.
"Today, the international community bows its head in respect and solemnly recalls the 60th anniversary of the tragic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Mbeki said in a statement.
He reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to co-operate with Japan and the international community to create a world free of the threat of nuclear weapons.
About 140 000 people were killed after the Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload over Hiroshima, which then had a population of about 350 000.
Three days later, another United States bomber, Bock's Car, dropped a plutonium bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing about 807nbsp;000 people. Japan surrendered on August 15 1945, bringing World War II to a close
"We owe it to the memory of all the victims of the atomic bombings to build a global society based on the enduring values of peace, tolerance, understanding and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction," Mbeki said.
- SAPA