This file photo provided by the Swedish Coast Guard on Sept. 28, 2022 shows a gas leak on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. (The Swedish Coast Guard/Handout via Xinhua)
Everyone can see there's a body lying there, but pretends things are normal. "It's better not to know," says a diplomat in Europe.
NEW YORK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- For all the intrigue around who bombed the Nord Stream pipeline, some Western officials are not so eager to find out who on earth severely damaged the natural gas pipelines last September, reported The Washington Post on Monday.
At gatherings of European and NATO policymakers, officials have settled into a rhythm, said one senior European diplomat: "Don't talk about Nord Stream," according to the report.
Leaders see little benefit from digging too deeply and finding an uncomfortable answer, the diplomat said, echoing sentiments of several peers in other countries who said they would rather not have to deal with the possibility that Ukraine or allies were involved.
"Since no country is yet ruled out from having carried out the attack, officials said they were loath to share suspicions that could accidentally anger a friendly government that might have had a hand in bombing Nord Stream," noted the report.
"It's like a corpse at a family gathering," the European diplomat said, reaching for a grim analogy. Everyone can see there's a body lying there, but pretends things are normal. "It's better not to know." ■
