ISTANBUL - Prince Charles of Britain said on Monday that nearly a year had elapsed since the suicide attacks in Istanbul in November of 2003, adding, ''far from sowing division between us, those who planned these murderous attacks simply brought us together, Briton and Turk, Muslim, Jew and Christian.''
The British Consulate General in Istanbul was reopened on Monday nearly one year after the suicide attack which caused massive damage to the building.
Speaking at the reopening ceremony, Prince Charles offered his condolences to those who lost their beloved ones in the attacks.
''As we look ahead today at a new era of British diplomatic and consular activity here in Istanbul, we also see Turkey moving towards taking its place in the EU. The opportunity facing Turkey now is an extraordinary one. I hope Britain can play a special part in helping to allay fears about Turkey's eventual membership. Turkey has a unique opportunity to show the compatibility of Islamic values with secular democracy as it strives for EU membership. You are in a position to demonstrate, once and for all, that secular democracy does not have to come at the expense of Islamic values,'' he said.
Following his speech, Prince Charles planted a tree at the grounds of the 19th century consulate building.
Later, Prince Charles proceeded from Istanbul to Ankara.
He is scheduled to meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The attack, one of the four identical suicide bombings, claimed lives of British Consul General Roger Short, two security officials and 15 others.
In last year's suicide attacks on two synagogues, HSBC Bank headquarters and the British Consulate General, 57 people lost their lives (except for the four suicide bombers) and hundreds of others were injured.
Earlier this month, Istanbul's Jewish community reopened its main synagogue, one of two that were bombed.
(UK-MS) 25.10.2004