On Sunday April 18, Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, who died in a plane crash on April 10 near the site of Katyna in Russia, were buried in a ceremony at the Wawel Cathedral in the city of Krakow, the Sme daily wrote on its website on April 18.
From Slovakia, President Ivan Gašparovič, Prime Minister Robert Fico and Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška took part in the funeral ceremony and expressed sympathy with the Polish nation which lost 96 people, including many top officials, in the air accident.
Czech President Václav Klaus criticised many leaders, especially European, for not having attended the ceremony and called the proclaimed European unity an empty phrase. Leaders of various countries and representatives excused themselves from the funeral due to halted aviation services caused by the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland, Sme reported.
Source: www.Sme.sk
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
