27/01/2005

Straw leads British delegation at Auschwitz commemoration

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, will lead the British delegation at today's Auschwitz commemoration ceremony in Poland, to mark the 60th anniversary of the camp's liberation.

World leaders from over 30 countries, including Russian President, Vladimir Putin and French President, Jacques Chirac, will also attend the ceremony.

More than 1.1 million people died in the notorious Auschwitz and Birkenau camps, and sub-camps, one million of whom were Jewish.

Commenting on today's ceremony, Mr Straw, said: "Today, we remember the horrors of the Holocaust's millions of innocent victims. We have to continuously learn from the lessons of history. Future generations cannot be allowed to forget the Holocaust. It is a time to reflect on the past but also a time to look to the future. Auschwitz has become a symbol of suffering and persecution on a scale, which is unique in human history. It acts as a reminder to us all that the international community must work together to ensure that such atrocities can never be allowed to happen again."

Today, the Queen and Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will lead a ceremony to mark National Holocaust Memorial Day at Westminster Hall in London.

Over 600 concentration camp survivors are also expected to attend the ceremony.

Of the 15 million people thought to have been murdered during the Nazi regime in Germany, around six million were of Jewish descent.

(KMcA/SP)

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