Rajoy: “We want to repatriate the victims in the best possible manner”

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, French President François Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a joint press conference on Wednesday afternoon from Seyne-les-Alpes, where they had traveled to view the site of the Germanwings plane crash.

The Spanish prime minister had flown to France with Catalan premier Artur Mas in a Spanish air force plane to visit the scene of Tuesday’s tragedy in the French Alps.

The three national leaders expressed their condolences, thanked everyone involved in the rescue effort, and underscored that they were working together to clear up the causes of the tragedy that left all 150 aboard the A320 dead.

Rajoy also reminded his audience that Catalan premier Artur Mas had traveled to Seyne-les-Alpes with him to show solidarity with the victims and personally view the crash site.

I want you to know that we are going to work together in solidarity, as good Europeans but also as decent human beings” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

“We want to help, and will do everything in our power to repatriate the victims in the best possible manner, as we know this is an important issue,” said Rajoy, who was the third speaker after Hollande and Merkel. “We will all work together and I know that we will rise to the occasion at this highly difficult moment.”

Rajoy thanked the people of France and said that Hollande’s attitude had been “generous, the attitude of a friend, worthy of the leader of a great nation.”

“I want you to know that there are three people here who are going to work together in solidarity, as good Europeans but also as decent human beings,” he concluded.

The French leader opened the press conference with a reference to his nation’s concerted efforts to clear up the cause of the crash and provide all the necessary support to the victims’ friends and relatives.

“The French people are by your side during this ordeal,” he said. “We need to know what happened, we owe it to the families and to the countries involved. I am proud of France at this moment; this is European solidarity.”

Merkel also thanked the French president and the people of France, “as well as Rajoy, whom I am close to. We are thinking about the victims of this terrible tragedy.”