The Europrean Union on Friday condemned the nearly simultaneous explosions at neighboring American hotels in Jakarta that killed at least nine people and injured 50 others.

"We stand in sympathy and in solidarity with the Indonesian government and the Indonesian people in this most difficult time," Sweden, which is currently holding the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement.

"The EU conveys its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of these brutal acts," the statement added.

Two bombs rocked the Ritz Carlton Hotel and the nearby JW Marriot Hotel in central Jakarta on Friday morning, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 50, according to authorities.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)