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| Europe |
| US embassy groundbreaking in Berlin |
| 2004-10-06 |
| Severely EFL Ending years of wrangles with German authorities, the US ambassador to Germany on Wednesday will preside over the groundbreaking for a new American embassy close to Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate. Washington's future embassy is being built on the site of the former United States embassy which was destroyed at the end of World War II by bombing and during the 1945 Battle for Berlin between Soviet Red Army forces and the remnants of Adolf Hitler's Wehrmacht. TGA, will you be attending? |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #3 We had a rough time during the 1980s as well, but Schmidt stood by us. I suspect a German administration that has more guts and vision than Schroeder's will make a significant difference. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-10-06 2:28:48 PM |
| #2 Diplomacy is cheap. Let's see if actions follow word. |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-10-06 2:21:23 PM |
| #1 But German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and US President George W. Bush managed to restore cordial if not warm relations during a series of meetings earlier this year. Thus the groundbreaking ceremony, presided over by Ambassador Daniel R. Coats and Interior Minister Otto Schily are a symbolic reminder that transatlantic ties have weathered the Iraq war storm. Smith said German-American ties were improving following the Iraq war and both sides were seeking to elevate positive achievements. "So this day is not only a celebration of groundbreaking but a celebration of successful US-German diplomacy," Smith concluded. There's hope for Germany yet. Perhaps we can in time get back to a good and useful relationship with a pragmatic post-Schroeder administration. Not so for Spain or France, though. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-10-06 12:30:55 PM |