International support for rebuild
EUROPEAN Union chief Donald Tusk yesterday called on the bloc’s member countries to help France rebuild the fireravaged cathedral, saying the site in
Paris was a symbol of what binds Europe together.
Tusk, who chairs summits of EU national leaders, said the blaze reminded Europeans of ‘‘how much we can lose’’.
‘‘At stake here is something more than just material help.
‘‘The burning of the Notre Dame cathedral has again made us aware that we are bound by something more important and more profound than treaties.’’
Parliament President Antonio Tajani invited EU politicians, meeting in Strasbourg, to contribute their day’s salary to help finance reconstruction.
Japan’s Government said it would consider sending support to the French Government.
‘‘Its damage is a loss to the world and our hearts ache,’’ said Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary.
South Korean President Moon Jaein called for the world to come together to rebuild the Paris landmark.
Across the globe, a stunned and helpless art world wept alongside the people of France as the fire ravaged the cathedral.
‘‘Civilisation is just so fragile,’’ said Barbara Drake Boehm, senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s
medieval Cloisters branch in New York, her voice shaking as she tried to put into words what the cathedral meant.
‘‘This great hulking monument of stone has been there since 1163. It’s come through so many trials.’’
‘‘It’s not one relic, not one piece of glass — it’s the totality ...
‘‘It’s the very soul of Paris, but it’s not just for French people. For all humanity, it’s one of the great monuments to the best of civilisation.’’ — AP