LOC22:43
19:43 GMT
BRUSSELS, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- President of the European Parliament, Martin
Schulz, Monday rejected a call to hold a minute's silence in the memory of
Ariel Sharon, the ex-Israeli Prime Minister who died on Saturday aged 85 after
eight years in a coma and was buried today.
"I will not allow the minute's silence. No, there is no minute's silence,"
he told the full house of the European Parliament in its first session this
year in the French city of Strasbourg.
Dutch MEP Laurence Stassen who belongs to the extreme-right Party for
Freedom had called for the one minute silence for Sharon.
But Czech MEP Richard Falbr said "I don't agree with a minute's silence for
Ariel Sharon.
"He has caused the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians on his
conscience," said Falbr who belongs to the Socialists Group. Many MEPs clapped
to show support to his proposal. (end)
nk.bs
KUNA 132243 Jan 14NNNN