Barack Obama wants to hold a keynote speech on trans-Atlantic relations in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate during his visit later this month. SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that he wants to outline a new foreign policy that consults partners more, but also makes clear demands on Europe. Barack Obama would like to hold a speech in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Germany's Cold War division and subsequent unity. When is he coming, who will he meet, and, more importantly: What will he say? For days now, Berlin has been abuzz with speculation over plans for Barack Obama's first trip to Europe as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. A July 24 date has been set by the campaign for a Berlin visit and more details are gradually emerging. During his visit to the German capital, Obama plans to hold a keynote address on trans-Atlantic relations. "During this campaign, Senator Obama has been criticized for his lack of interest in Europe," an Obama campaign adviser with knowledge of the planning for the trip told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "This trip is partly a response to this, and I am sure he wants to address the issue of trans-Atlantic relations." The possibility has not been ruled out that the speech could instead be given in Paris or London -- the other stops on Obama's short Europe trip. But Obama's team likes the location of Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate. "The setting would be great," the advisor said. "The memory of John F. Kennedy's famous Berlin speech is still alive. Berlin is a bridge between East and West, and the German-American relationship is very strong," said the advisor.
Barack Obama wants to hold a keynote speech on trans-Atlantic relations in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate during his visit later this month. SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that he wants to outline a new foreign policy that consults partners more, but also makes clear demands on Europe.
Barack Obama would like to hold a speech in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Germany's Cold War division and subsequent unity. When is he coming, who will he meet, and, more importantly: What will he say? For days now, Berlin has been abuzz with speculation over plans for Barack Obama's first trip to Europe as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. A July 24 date has been set by the campaign for a Berlin visit and more details are gradually emerging. During his visit to the German capital, Obama plans to hold a keynote address on trans-Atlantic relations.
"During this campaign, Senator Obama has been criticized for his lack of interest in Europe," an Obama campaign adviser with knowledge of the planning for the trip told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "This trip is partly a response to this, and I am sure he wants to address the issue of trans-Atlantic relations."
The possibility has not been ruled out that the speech could instead be given in Paris or London -- the other stops on Obama's short Europe trip. But Obama's team likes the location of Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate. "The setting would be great," the advisor said. "The memory of John F. Kennedy's famous Berlin speech is still alive. Berlin is a bridge between East and West, and the German-American relationship is very strong," said the advisor.
Berlin, a city torn apart by war, is the perfect setting for an American president preaching peace. Ronald Reagan famously stood metres away from the Brandenburg Gate and called on the Soviet Union to tear down the Wall dividing Europe. And President Kennedy used a Cold War visit to the once and future German capital to declare: "ich bin ein Berliner!" Now Barack Obama, the presidential candidate, wants to grandstand there too. But a simmering row between the German Government and the local Berlin authorities could rob the Democratic politician of a photogenic moment at the Brandenburg Gate and derail his flagship tour of Europe this month. The plan, Obama advisers have told Der Spiegel magazine, is to use the visit on July 24 to signal an imminent improvement in the transatlantic relationship. "The Senator was criticised in the primaries for showing insufficient interest in Europe," said the unnamed adviser. "This visit is an answer to this criticism ... the memories of John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech are still very fresh -- Berlin is a bridge between East and West."
Berlin, a city torn apart by war, is the perfect setting for an American president preaching peace. Ronald Reagan famously stood metres away from the Brandenburg Gate and called on the Soviet Union to tear down the Wall dividing Europe. And President Kennedy used a Cold War visit to the once and future German capital to declare: "ich bin ein Berliner!"
Now Barack Obama, the presidential candidate, wants to grandstand there too. But a simmering row between the German Government and the local Berlin authorities could rob the Democratic politician of a photogenic moment at the Brandenburg Gate and derail his flagship tour of Europe this month.
The plan, Obama advisers have told Der Spiegel magazine, is to use the visit on July 24 to signal an imminent improvement in the transatlantic relationship.
"The Senator was criticised in the primaries for showing insufficient interest in Europe," said the unnamed adviser. "This visit is an answer to this criticism ... the memories of John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech are still very fresh -- Berlin is a bridge between East and West."
Barack Obama wants to hold a speech at the Brandenburg Gate when he comes to Berlin later this month. The city's mayor wants to grant him his wish, but the German chancellor has misgivings. The warning from the Chancellery was clear: The Brandenburg Gate is the "most famous and history-rich location in Germany," a Chancellery source said on Monday. In the past, it has only been used on very special occasions for addresses by politicians, and when, then only by elected American presidents. More clearly stated: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would be better off looking for another location in the German capital to hold a speech. Barack Obama would like to speak at the Brandenburg Gate during his trip to Berlin. However, the German government is against the idea. But Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit appeared unimpressed by the warning from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office and said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would be pleased if Obama were to address the public at the Brandenburg Gate. "We are not ruling anything out," a spokesman for the Berlin city council told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The Brandenburg Gate would certainly be a nice place." The local government also pointed out that the decision over where Obama should make his appearance was in the hands of the city council of Berlin and not the chancellor's office or the federal government.
Barack Obama wants to hold a speech at the Brandenburg Gate when he comes to Berlin later this month. The city's mayor wants to grant him his wish, but the German chancellor has misgivings.
The warning from the Chancellery was clear: The Brandenburg Gate is the "most famous and history-rich location in Germany," a Chancellery source said on Monday. In the past, it has only been used on very special occasions for addresses by politicians, and when, then only by elected American presidents. More clearly stated: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would be better off looking for another location in the German capital to hold a speech.
Barack Obama would like to speak at the Brandenburg Gate during his trip to Berlin. However, the German government is against the idea. But Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit appeared unimpressed by the warning from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office and said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would be pleased if Obama were to address the public at the Brandenburg Gate.
"We are not ruling anything out," a spokesman for the Berlin city council told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The Brandenburg Gate would certainly be a nice place." The local government also pointed out that the decision over where Obama should make his appearance was in the hands of the city council of Berlin and not the chancellor's office or the federal government.
i think Obama would have been better to talk in another european city, making his own moment rather than playing off Kennedy's.
Barack Obama will make his first trip as Democratic presidential nominee to London next week, at the start of a tour of Europe where a warm embrace may be overshadowed by his effort to explain how - and when - America's military should disentangle itself from Iraq. In his debut on the international stage Mr Obama will visit seven countries in as many days, with stops in Britain, France, Germany, Israel and Jordan. He is likely also to make undisclosed trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. His appearance in London is expected to be fleeting, British sources said. Mr Obama's advance team had made plain that he wants to get in and out of the city "as expeditiously as possible".
Barack Obama will make his first trip as Democratic presidential nominee to London next week, at the start of a tour of Europe where a warm embrace may be overshadowed by his effort to explain how - and when - America's military should disentangle itself from Iraq.
In his debut on the international stage Mr Obama will visit seven countries in as many days, with stops in Britain, France, Germany, Israel and Jordan. He is likely also to make undisclosed trips to Iraq and Afghanistan.
His appearance in London is expected to be fleeting, British sources said. Mr Obama's advance team had made plain that he wants to get in and out of the city "as expeditiously as possible".
"We would never disclose undisclosed disclosures," stated one of the legions of news aggregators operating as a virtual entity code-named Fran. "We trust and value our intelligence connections, so we wouldn't ever be guilty of undisclosed disclosures. Unless they were phone taps from berlusconni or sarcophagus, we protect our sources."
"We're onto them," stated an undisclosed Interpol source, "and we're trying to head off disclosure of Obama's pilgrimage to Mecca." "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
