JOHN KERRY MET THE MAYOR OF PARIS, ANNE HIDALGO, FOR CONDOLENCES

USPA NEWS - The US Secretary, John Kerry, during his visit to France, after the terrorist attacks was received by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, at City Hall. They were able to exchange by recalling historical facts. The whole speech was given in a perfect French before the audience at the City Hall by Mr Kerry.

FRANCE IS THE OLDEST ALLY OF USA John Kerry recalled the secular friendship between France and the United States of America with quote Lafayette: "I represent a nation grateful each day that France is our oldest ally. And just as Lafayette crossed the Atlantic some 234 years ago to help America; just as General Pershing and his men proclaimed their arrival on the shores of France a century ago with the words, “Lafayette, we are here“; just as we tackle today´s most daunting challenges side by side, the United States and France will always stand together. We will persevere and we will prevail".---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The US Secretary of State, John Kerry then presented his condolences to the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. "On the day of the living nightmare that began at Charlie Hebdo, I had a chance to share a few thoughts with you from back home in Washington. And today I just ““ I really wanted to come here and share a hug with all of Paris and all of France. I wanted to express to you personally the sheer horror and revulsion that all Americans felt for the cowardly and despicable act, the assault on innocent lives and on fundamental values".

THE US SECRETARY EXPRESSES HIS WELCOME IN PARIS SO DEAR TO HOS HEART John Kerry spoke to the Mayor of Paris and her guests : "Well, Madam Mayor, thank you for that very, very generous welcome, and thank you for reminding us of the extraordinary history. And what an honor for me to be here in this historic venue which the mayor just talked about and shared some of the history. A moment ago in her office she showed me a photograph, a historic photograph of the resistance members sitting there in her office in August of 1944, a reminder of the close, historic, inescapable relationship between our countries. I appreciate your very generous comments about all of our neighbors. I know you have a warm relationship with them. So it´s a privilege for me to be here with you, and I´m particularly honored to be with members of the law enforcement community, those who were so directly engaged and affected by the events. And you honor us and you honor me and my country by being here today, and we thank you so much for that.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the days since January 7th, some have said it was France´s most difficult hour. But they forget the history of a country and a people that have throughout history only become, as another American who loved France and knew the cost of conflict once wrote, “stronger at the broken places.“

JOHN KERRY SHARES A PERSONAL CONFIDENCE ABOUT HIS MOTHER WHO WAS FRENCH Kerry then made a very touching confidence and shares with the audience his origins common with France, this explains, why he masters so well the French language. “It was my mother who instilled in me a special love for France and taught me the history she had lived herself during the darkest days of World War II. An American born in Paris, she had become a nurse and was treating the wounded at Montparnasse. The day before the Nazis entered the city, she escaped with her sister on a bicycle and proceeded to forge her way across France while German fighters were strafing them. She eventually made her way to Portugal where she boarded a ship that brought her back to the United States. The very first time that my parents brought me to France is really one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. It was the first time my mother had come back since she had escaped during the war and I can still hear the sounds of the rubble and the broken glass that was crunching under our feet as we walked through the bombed-out ruins of our home. Almost nothing was left; just a stone staircase and a chimney that rose up into the sky“.

HOMAGE TO THE VICTIMES AND A PLACE FOR THE HERO LASSANA The US Secretary of State, makes a great tribute to the victims of the attacks and took the opportunity to commend the courage and bravery Lassana Bathily. This young Somali man who was at the HyperCasher during the hostage taking at Porte de Vincennes on 7 January. He had hidden the hostages in a corner of the store and had allowed the police to make the assault against by their opening the door. He became a hero that day. The French government decided to offer Lassana Bathily the French nationality, planned to be delivered to him the day after by the hands of the interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve. “No doubt you will tell them about Lassana Bathily, a Muslim man from Mali who risked his life to save Jewish customers at the Hyper Cacher market. When he heard the gunman break into the store, he didn´t think of himself or his own safety; he helped more than a dozen customers hide downstairs in the stockroom´s cooler. He got word to the police, and in doing so, he saved lives. Asked why he did it, Lassana said simply: “We are brothers. It´s not a question of Jews or Christians or Muslims. We´re all in the same boat. We have to help each other to get out of the crisis.“ The irony learned from this tragedy with from one side an extremist terrorist, pretending to be "Muslim" and killing the victims, and on the other side another young genuine Muslim man who saves the hostages taken by the first guy, a terrorist ... and they came from the same country of origin: Mali. This demonstration avoids amalgam between Muslims and extremists. It is for this reason that John Kerry emphasizes on the difference between a Muslim and a so called muslim that is extremist and kills in the name of Islam. "No doubt you will tell them about Ahmed Merabet, who was a pillar in his community, a family man, and passionate about his job as a police officer. You will tell them about how Ahmed rushed to the offices of Charlie Hebdo and came toe-to-toe with the terrorists before he was savagely and senselessly gunned down in the street. In a tribute to his brother, Malek Merabet said: My brother was a Muslim, and he was killed by people who pretended to be Muslims. They are terrorists. That´s all.“

JOHN KERRY ENDS HIS SPEECH LOUDLY APPLAUDED, FOLLOWED BY JAMES TAYLOR SINGINGJohn Kerry continues : "I know that even as we speak, there are passionate debates over the complex issues this tragedy has raised. But what should be beyond debate, beyond the scope of politics or religion, satire or culture, is the common aspiration to create a world rich in love and short on hate. So today at the Hotel de Ville, I join you in honoring those no longer with us and share with their loved ones the sadness of their loss but pride in their lives. We simply will not descend into despair. We will turn this moment of profound loss into a lasting commitment. We accept with humility the responsibility that falls to each of us to defend the values our societies cherish and extremists fear the most: tolerance, freedom, truth. In the end, our engagement ““ all of us in this struggle ““ is not a choice; it is a mandate. It is our obligation.