German FM Offers Condolences To Iranians On Deadly Quake

Berlin, Aug 13, IRNA -- German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Sunday offered his condolences to the Iranian government and its people on the devastating quake which struck northwestern Iran killing hundreds and leaving thousands more injured and homeless. In his condolence message for his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, Germany's chief diplomat voiced his shock over the quake, while expressing his 'deep sympathies' for the victims who lost their loved ones and all their belongings in the quake. He wished a speedy and complete recovery for all those injured in the quake. Westerwelle stressed his country's readiness to provide aid to the quake-hit areas, if requested by Iran. The quakes in the towns of Ahar and Varzeqan struck within 11 minutes of each other on Saturday, registering magnitudes of 6.3 and 6.4 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey and Tehran University's Geophysics Center./end