press releases
U.S. Embassy Commemorates September 11
AmericanSeptember 13, 2005
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On Sunday, September 11, Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Passen hosted a
welcome luncheon for 70 new Mission employees and family members, and
spoke about the events of 9/11, the efforts to rebuild, and the need
for commemoration.
On Sunday, September 11, Chargé d’Affaires
Andrew Passen welcomed newly arrived Peace Corps volunteers by
commemorating the events of 9/11. Mr. Passen told the volunteers, “Like
the staff of other foreign affairs agencies, Peace Corps Volunteers are
seen as representations of America, and welcoming you to Zambia on
September 11th, the fourth anniversary of the terror attacks in the
U.S., highlights this role for you.”
On Monday, September 12,
Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Passen addressed Zambian Defense Force
participants in the African Contingency Operations Training Assistance
(ACOTA) “Training Strategy Conference.” The organizers of the program
started the event with a prayer for those who lost their lives in 9/11,
and Mr. Passen echoed his comments from the events the preceding day by
commemorating the terror attacks in the U.S.
On Tuesday,
September 13, PAS displayed a 9/11 paper show at the American Center.
Additionally, Mr. George Mwanza, a sculptor, exhibited his work,
“Echoes of World Peace and Unity.” The Information Resource Center
(IRC) showed a video on September 11, titled Sacred Ground, a
FRONTLINE/PBS production.
On Tuesday, September 13, PAS Lusaka
organized a press event with eight Chiefs of Missions representing the
United States, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Tanzania,
India and Egypt (countries represented in Zambia which have suffered
recent terrorist attacks). The diplomats gave remarks on how their
respective countries had been affected by terrorism as well as efforts
by their governments to fight the war on terror. Some of the 25
journalists in attendance had an opportunity to ask questions and seek
clarifications on various issues surrounding this subject.
There
was a consistent message from the Ambassadors that no nation is immune
to terrorist attacks and the international community “must marshal the
necessary assets to root-out those who would use terror to advance
political ends. ”Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Passen and British High
Commissioner Mr. Alistair Harrison commended the Zambian security
forces for their vigilance in arresting Haroon Rashid Aswat, a
suspected terrorist with possible links to the July 7 attacks in London.
