08/07/2002
Amb. Carson Marks Fourth Anniversary of Kenya Embassy Bombing
FR -- Tells Nairobi memorial service "We shall never forget"
"We shall never forget the wrong that was done and the evil that was perpetrated on August 7, 1998. On that terrible day, we lost 44 of our closest colleagues, Kenyan and American, cousins and brothers, husbands and wives."
U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Johnnie Carson made that point in remarks at an August 7 ceremony in Nairobi marking the fourth anniversary of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy there.
The event was a memorial wreath-laying ceremony in front of the current embassy building, attended by embassy staff, a representative from the Kenyan Foreign Ministry, and Mrs. Sue Bartley, whose husband, Consul General Julian Bartley, and son were among those killed by the blast.
The near simultaneous vehicular bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, which were perpetrated by the Al-Qaida terrorist group, cost the lives of more than 220 persons and wounded more than 4,000 others.
Twelve American U.S. government employees and family members, and 32 Kenyan and eight Tanzanian employees of the U.S. government were among those killed. Both chanceries withstood collapse from the bombings, but were rendered unusable, and several adjacent buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.
Following is the text of Ambassador Carson's remarks, as prepared for delivery:
(begin text)
Friends, colleagues, and our special guest, Ms. Sue Bartley, who has come from Washington, D.C., to join us.
This morning is a somber and sad occasion.
Today marks the 4th anniversary of the tragic bombing of the United States Embassy here in Nairobi. As we gather this morning to mourn and to pay tribute to our colleagues, we shall never forget the wrong that was done and the evil that was perpetrated on August 7, 1998. On that terrible day, we lost 44 of our closest colleagues, Kenyan and American, cousins and brothers, husbands and wives.
As we gather this morning, we also pause to remember all of the 214 innocent people who were so senselessly killed on that Friday morning in and around our embassy building. The carnage and death on that day will always be a reminder of how a small group of men intent on killing can destroy and disrupt so many lives.
As we mourn those who died, we also remember the five thousand people who were hurt and injured, and the hundreds of children and families who have suffered so much as a result of this terrible event. Many of those who survived this outpouring of hatred, including many of those who stand and work beside us today, will forever carry the painful physical and psychological scars of August 7. We must applaud their courage and determination to rebuild their lives and to overcome their personal adversities. And we should never let them be far from our thoughts and our prayers.
As we gather this morning, we should also pause to express our gratitude to the government and people of Kenya for the solidarity and assistance they showed following those terrible events. That solidarity was demonstrated again last year in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, which claimed thousands of other innocent lives. Kenya's continuing support in the war against terrorism is a reflection of the shared principles, the deep friendship and strong ties that exist between our two countries.
The Kenyans and Americans who died August 7 worked together to help Kenya build a better, more democratic and prosperous future. Our colleagues -- Kenyan and American -- believed in democracy, religious tolerance, individual liberties, human rights and the enormous opportunities these freedoms provide to us all. They worked together to build bridges of understanding between our two countries, bridges which are more, not less important today in our fast-paced and rapidly changing world.
They were murdered by terrorists who seek a very different world -- a world of intolerance and hatred, a world where social and religious differences are frequently a cause for war and where indiscriminate violence and politically inspired terrorism are regarded as legitimate means of demonstrating patriotism and resolving international differences.
But terrorism and evil cannot and will not prevail. It will never prevail over justice or democracy or where liberty and honesty are valued more than treachery and deceit.
Thanks to the cooperation of Kenyan and United States law enforcement officials and the heroic testimony of many Kenyan employees of the embassy, four of the terrorists involved in the August 7 attacks have been convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Others are awaiting trial in the United States. And our determination to remember and to track down all those who are responsible for August 7 should never be underestimated.
Today, Kenya and the United States stand together as part of a strong international coalition to fight the threat of international terrorism. Already, terrorist bases in Afghanistan and the oppressive regime that harbored them have been eliminated. I am confident that those involved in the September 11 attacks will also be brought to justice.
As we pursue those who are responsible for August 7 and September 11, we will not allow the poison of the perpetrators to infect or deter us. We will continue to work in the tradition of those we honor and remember today. We will work as they worked, with humility and kindness, with dedication and loyalty and with love for their families, communities and countries. And we will continue to help to build bridges of understanding and tolerance between Kenya and America, and between different peoples and religious groups around the world. In this way, we will never forget our colleagues and we honor them in the best way possible.
Although this day brings us together in sadness and grief, I hope that the memory of our lost colleagues, friends and loved ones will serve as a constant reminder of the need for all of us to continue to work together toward a more caring and compassionate world.
Thank you all for coming.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
