Jakarta, December 27, 2004

We are all deeply shocked by the magnitude of the disaster that claimed the lives of thousands of people and injured and displaced so many others in Sumatra on 26 December 2004. On behalf of the European Union, the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, as President of the European Union in Indonesia, would like to express its deepest condolences to the relatives of the victims and to the people of Aceh and North Sumatra, and wishes to convey its profound sympathy to the Indonesian Government and all the Indonesian people affected by this enormous catastrophe.

The EU stands ready to support the Indonesian Government and its people in their efforts to overcome this tragedy.