Brussels: French officials are condemning the Brussels attacks in the strongest terms. Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking after a crisis meeting called by the French president, said “we are at war. We have been subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war.”
President Francois Hollande said, “terrorists struck Brussels but it was Europe that was targeted — and all the world that is concerned.”
Hollande also warned that “this war will be long” so sang froid and lucidity are needed. Paris said it will light the Eiffel Tower in the colors of the Belgian flag. The city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, described it in a tweet as a measure of “solidarity with Brussels.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff has called for solidarity with Belgium following the Brussels attacks that left scores dead.
Peter Altmaier tweeted Tuesday: “Terrorists will never win.” He added: “Our European values much stronger than hate, violence, terror!”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says the West’s politics of “double standards” have led to terrorist attacks and that frozen diplomatic relations between NATO and Russia have slowed the fight with terrorism.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, has offered its condolences to Belgium and expressed solidarity after the attacks Tuesday that left scores dead. While Russia and the United States have brokered a fragile peace agreement in Syria, the two countries still disagree on how to tackle terrorist threats posed by the ISIS.
Prominent Russian lawmaker Alexei Pushkov also had a jab at Europe and NATO following the Brussels attacks. Pushkov later offered his condolences, but said “it's time for Europe to understand where the genuine threat is coming from and join efforts with Russia.”
Meanwhile, Facebook has activated its “safety check” system to help people check on friends and loved ones in the aftermath of the attacks in Brussels.
The company says Tuesday the system was put in use within hours of the three explosions at the Brussels airport and a metro station.
It says the system can provide an easy way for people to mark themselves as “safe” after a major disaster or crisis so that people searching for them will know they are unharmed.
The system has been used recently to help people communicate after major floods and earthquakes as well as terrorist attacks.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, fighting back tears, has stopped short a news conference in Jordan after saying that “today is a difficult day,” in reference to the Brussels attacks.
