Posted: Sun, Feb 2, 2003, 12:33 PM ET (1733 GMT)
World leaders have contacted the governments of the United States and Israel to express their condolences regarding the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew. According to wire reports, leaders of countries both large and small have issued statements lamenting the loss of the shuttle and its crew. Pope John Paul II asked those in attendance at Sunday mass at the Vatican to "pray for the victims of this accident, who died as they were completing an international scientific mission." The loss was especially hard in Israel, whose first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, was on the crew, as well as India, where astronaut Kalpana Chawla was born. Despite the tense state of Arab-Israeli relations, several officials, including Palestinian president Yassir Arafat, express their regrets about the loss. A notable exception came from Iraq, where state-run media said that the disaster is evidence that "God is avenging us."

Related Links:

•  Reuters article about worldwide reaction
•  AP article
•  AFP article
•  Reuters article about Iraqi reaction