BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The international community is continuously voicing support for China's relief efforts and praising the government's quick response to the strong quake which hit the country's Qinghai province on Wednesday.
Condolences kept on pouring in on Saturday and Sunday from leaders of foreign countries and international, regional organizations, who sent messages of support to the Chinese government and people via phone calls, letters and other ways of communications with the Chinese leaders.
Expressing his sympathy, Emperor of Japan Akihito said he was deeply saddened by the heavy casualties and property losses in the quake and wished people in quake zones could quickly rebuild their homeland.
Irish President Mary McAleese expressed condolences to the Chinese people, and believed that the unity of the Chinese people would render the most powerful support to the recovery of the affected region.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said he appreciated the Chinese government's all-out efforts to carry out relief work under extremely difficult circumstances and hoped people in disaster areas could turn grief into strength, and overcome the disaster as soon as possible.
Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said he believed that with solidarity and unity, the Chinese people would overcome this disaster.
President of the Polish Senate Bogdan Borusewicz, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and President of Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou-Nguesso expressed condolences and sympathy for the quake victims and their families.
First Vice-President of Burundi Yves Sahinguvu said he believed that under the leadership of the Chinese government, the Chinese people would soon overcome the disaster.
Cape Verde President Pedro Pires said he believed that the Chinese government and people would be able to overcome difficulties and achieve victory in post-quake reconstruction.
Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam said that his people felt the same way with the Chinese people, believing that people in quake zones were strong enough to overcome the disaster.
Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, president of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power, said he believed the Chinese people would be able to withstand the test of the disaster.
Prime ministers of Dominica, Jamaica and Grenada all expressed grief for the casualties and sent condolences to the Chinese government, saying they firmly believed that China would overcome the disaster.
Leaders of World Health Organization, International Organization for Migration, World Meteorological Organization and International Telecommunication Union sent messages of condolences to earthquake victims and their families and expressed sympathy for those wounded.
Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization Boutros Boutros Ghali said the organization was willing to stand with the Chinese people to overcome the disaster.
World Economic Forum President Klaus Schwab said the Chinese government was moving quickly to start relief operation.
Leaders of International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat, International Civil Defense Organization, International Standards Organization and other international organization, said that with the successful experiences learned from the relief work after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, the Chinese government would do an outstanding job in disaster relief work and restore normal production and life as soon as possible.
Secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States expressed condolences to the Chinese government, believing that relief efforts would succeed.
Foreign ministers of Albania, Macedonia, the Bahamas and Ecuador sent condolence messages to the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
Yemen, which holds the chair of the Group of 77, Cote d'Ivoire, and permanent missions to the United Nations of over 20 countries have also expressed their sympathy to China.
In a phone conversation with the Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Luo Zhaohui, the Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said he was impressed by the Chinese government's quick and efficient response to the quake disaster and reaffirmed his country was willing to provide assistance. He sent a condolence message to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao soon after occurrence of the earthquake.
