Goff saddened by attack on Swedish Foreign Min.
Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Media Statement
11 September 2003
Goff saddened by attack on Swedish Foreign Minister
Foreign
Minister Phil Goff today said he was deeply concerned to
learn of the stabbing of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh
yesterday.
Ms Lindh was stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms by an unidentified assailant which shopping in Stockholm. No motive for the attack has been established but the Foreign Minister has been leading a campaign for Sweden to adopt the Euro currency. The issue goes to a referendum this weekend.
“Anna Lindh is a respected friend and colleague whom I have got to know well over the past few years. She is a warm and intelligent person," Mr Goff said from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.
"Anna hosted me in Stockholm in May 2001 for New Zealand's European Union Presidency consultations. New Zealand and Sweden share similar values and policies, and our working relationship has been a close and constructive one.
“We send Anna and her family our best wishes for her recovery. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time."
ENDS