Press Conference - Move to the New U.S. Embassy on Pariser Platz
Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr.

 

Berlin, January 31, 2008.

 

 

Press Attaché Robert Wood:  Welcome everyone, thank you for being here.  Welcome to the press conference to brief you on the U.S. Embassy's return to Pariser Platz.  We're pleased to have with us this morning Ambassador Timken, who will brief you on the plans for the move of the new Embassy.  Also I would like to thank Commerzbank for allowing us to use their facility.  I would also like to welcome Annette Thor of the Federation of German-American Clubs, who will speak briefly about the Federation's plans to help us celebrate the move to the new Embassy.  After the remarks, the Ambassador will take questions; if before asking questions you could identify yourself and your news organization we would greatly appreciate that.  And do look for the microphones.  Mr. Ambassador.

 

Ambassador Timken:  Thank you very much Robert.  I too would like to extend my thanks to the Commerzbank for hosting us here today, because this gives us a little view of what it might look like looking out the windows of the new Embassy as we go forward, and it's a beautiful site, a beautiful place, and we're certainly happy to be moving towards this location.  I'd also want to thank again Annette (Thor) for being with us and for the part that she and her organizations will play in the events which I will be describing as we go along, and you'll be able to hear from her.

 

I want to thank you for your interest.  This is a unique story.  There's no other occasion in Europe where the capital of a country has been moved like this and require the United States to build a major facility.  So this is not just another building, this is an important place for us to demonstrate the commitment that we the United States has to the partnership with the nation of Germany and the people and Germany.  We'll describe a little more fully as we go along what that means to us.  But to begin with, most of you are probably aware that on the site next door in 1930 the United States government purchased the palace of the Blücher family - who no longer were interested in it, I guess - and tried to make that into an effective Embassy.  Unfortunately, it burned and there were extensive renovations made to it, and eventually the people of the Embassy staff at that time moved into the refurbished chancery in April of 1939.  Now as you can imagine it wasn't very long that they were there and the significance for us today is that, as a result of decisions made by the United States Government, we are after 69 years returning, in the spring of 2008, to that original site.  And we like to think about this as the closing of a cycle that extended back to the time when we were enemies at war, through the entire process of the reunification, the airlift - of which the 60th anniversary of its commencement is this year - to the state where we are today as global partners, and now we have had what we would call the "people" side of that partnership, but now we will have our facility right here on Pariser Platz.

 

Secondly, this new facility will be for us an opportunity to open up.  There have been some people that have criticized our existing temporary facilities - they're not amenable to people from outside.  The design of the new Embassy is to be open - as much as we can do it within the requirements of security, which today are different to what they may have been in the past - but it will be open, we will hold some of our public affairs cultural events in there, we have space to do this.  And it's an exciting thing for the people of the United States Mission.  We have tried to be true to the architecture of Pariser Platz, as the last piece in the puzzle here, and - just as a side-story, because it shows my own emotional involvement - some time in the early 1990s, I was in Berlin to make a speech.  My host took me out on dirt near the Brandenburg Gate - the Brandenburg Gate stood alone, surrounded by nothing, after the Wall had been cleared and all the clearings were made, and my host pointed out to me that Pariser Platz would be rebuilt here in front of the Gate, and that Sony would build a building over there, and you know it had kind of stretched my imagination.  I now realize that I was probably standing about in the middle of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, looking directly at the Brandenburg Gate, and therefore right through the site of the now to-be-completed American Embassy, for which I have the responsibility.  So it's a strange world, when you think of it in that way, but it shows that history moves in wonderful ways, and we're very pleased to be here.  Everything we've done is working with the City to make sure that we preserve as much public access to Pariser Platz, we will not have the closing of the streets apparently, upon the judgment of the German, uh Berlin, but as we've had over in our existing location, and we expect to be part of the scenery here in Berlin.  A famous American architect, Moore Ruble Yudell, was chosen because we knew we had to produce something that all Germans as well as Americans would be proud to have sitting on this valuable corner of German real estate.

 

We're going to have a lot to do with art in the new Embassy, we have donated to the Embassy a sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly, which is 40-foot high piece of steel that will be erected in the interior courtyard of the new Embassy, and that will be a great moment because they're going to have to lift this big thing over the existing building, as they will do also with a piece of the Wall.  We were very fortunate to be offered a piece of the original Wall with all the graffiti and things they you know so well, and that will be put into the inside courtyard as well.  We have an original Sol LeWitt mural on the inside as well as our other art, and a special tie to Germany is that my wife and I made the decision to commission Meissen to make for us an American eagle, which they have never made before, to put in the rotunda of the new Embassy as a symbol of the cooperation by choosing Germany's most venerable porcelain producer to make an American eagle and put it there, we think, is part of this symbol of partnership that we all feel so strongly about.

 

Now, this is January.  It will be a long series of events surrounding the eventual occupancy and dedication of the new Embassy, and some of them will certainly revolve around the installation of those major cultural art pieces, but the way we're looking at it today, we think we will have on July 4th the normal national day celebration of the United States in Germany and we are going to hold that in Pariser Platz in an expanded fashion as part of the grand opening of the new Embassy.  We will be, in addition, of course working with the City of Berlin in that and the necessary work with our neighbors now here at Pariser Platz to make sure that we have a very successful event, and we do believe that at the time we will have very senior speaking officials from the, certainly the German nation as well as the United States on that July 4th and it will be a great ceremonial thing.  In addition, concurrently, during all this period we will try to run other cultural and seminar affairs which demonstrate the degree of partnership between the American people and the German people.  An organization that produces major events, conferences - the Maleki Group in Frankfurt - is going to put together a major economic symposium, because I can tell you that the economic inter-relationship between the United States and Germany is far greater than anyone understands and we will be putting out some numbers and thoughts about this relationship that will, I think, stimulate everybody's interest.

 

Then, in addition though, that's within the context of what the Embassy is permitted to do by the Congress of the United States, it's not enough, even though it will be more open than anything you've seen from the Americans since who knows when, but we wanted more and we were very pleased, very pleased when the ideas started to come forth to have a Volksfest in Pariser Platz, again, on July 5th, so that another group of Germans in Berlin and from around the country could take part in a different aspect of our relationship, and this will be targeted more at the younger people and with appropriate entertainment as well, and we're very, very pleased and honored that the German-American Clubs of Germany, which are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, would undertake the responsibility to work with all the people in Germany who have indicated a great desire to help with this promotion, with this demonstration of friendship, and so that's the reason we have Annette Thor here today and she will say a few words in a minute or two about the Club.

 

I also point out that the ... this is also the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, and there are many historians that believe that the Berlin Airlift was the fundamental key to maintaining the independence of West Germany, I mean West Berlin, within the arms of the Soviets, and therefore the only reason that eventually reunification was possible in the way that we know it today, and therefore the Airlift has its 60th anniversary of its commencement as well this year and is certainly an important part of that historical build to this day when we will have and occupy our new Embassy some time after May 1st this year.

 

So these are the thoughts, I would now like to ask Frau Thor if she would like to say a few words about the responsibilities that she and her group nationwide have undertaken for July 5th, and I would say that they provide the emphasis we also would like to have; this is not just a Berlin situation, this is, for us this will be a national celebration of this partnership and we expect to involve our facilities, our Consulates General, all over Germany and hope that we will be receiving as the Club organization demonstrates the support of people from all over Germany.  So at this time, Annette, if you would like to say a few words?

 

Annette Thor:  Thank you.  First of all, let me extend my gratitude and thanks to you, Ambassador Timken, to make it possible to attend this conference here and to give a short introduction of the Federation.  The Federation of German-American Clubs is a private organization and at this time our members are more than 30 German-American Clubs all over Germany, so one of course in here in Berlin but it represents all of Germany from Munich and Erfurt and from Hamburg to Kaiserslautern.  The origin, the history of course goes back to the southern part of Germany in 1949, to 1948, in these military years and this is a very interesting story, a very special story, but it would take too much time to speak about this, so I would ask you to read some things in our brochure, which you might have got downstairs; if not, let me know. 

 

The goal of the Federation, and all of our member clubs of course, is very simple - fostering and enhancing German-American relations and friendships, not only between the military in those times but meanwhile especially within youth, so 50 years ago, all clubs together founded a student exchange program which still is the largest privately-run program in Germany and a youth program - we have youth seminars and student seminars all over Germany and in the States and send every year about 30 German students to the United States with a grant and give a grant to American students of the same size, about 30, in Germany.  At the moment, two students are here in Berlin.

 

So based on this common history and constitutional goals of course we are highly attracted by this idea of the Embassy to open this new building with an open and free festivity, and we feel very much honored to serve as host for the public event on July 5th, and this supposed to be for all of our Clubs, for all people who want to take part and to make this a very special historic moment, not only for officials but also for the public.  And the plans are, let me thank as well Lexington Communication, who are responsible for the work on this exciting event and the plans we have together are to have on the street on the west side of the Brandenburg Gate on the Straße des 17. Juni along until the crossing with Isaac-Rabin-Straße sort of a free market place with artists and singers and citizens who make offers, their highlights, and as well food, music and regional specialties from all over Germany.  Since we have, at least those more than 30 Clubs, there is already a variety and of course we are speaking with different people who show a huge interest in participating and make this a real celebration. Our goal is to have this excitement open, as open as possible, and to celebrate in the spirit of a German-American friendship at its best.  So, that's the goal.

 

Ambassador Timken:  Thank you, Frau Thor.  Would you like to introduce the president of your Berlin Club?  I believe she's here today?

 

Annette Thor:  Alicia Heinrich, she's president of the German-American Women's Club of Berlin and she's present today, yes.

 

Ambassador Timken:  All right, well, thank you very much.  You can see then that basically we are talking about two events:  one, by invitation but very expanded group on July 4th here, which will also include fireworks that obviously everybody will be able see over the Brandenburger Tor, then a Volksfest on July 5th, so these are going to be two enormous events where we will try to bring together as much American cultural activities as is possible, some hopefully on the 4th very prominent speakers from Germany and the United States, on the 5th some very prominent entertainment that would appeal to people in Berlin that want to attend this Volksfest, so it should be party-time this summer for us in front of our new Embassy.

 

At this time we'll open it up for any questions.  If you're going to say them in Germany, my friend (the interpreter) will translate for me, Annette obviously doesn't need that, and if it's acceptable I will answer in English.  If anyone has a problem understanding then please ask for clarification.

 

Question:  Hi, my name is Noah Barkin. I'm with Reuters.  Can you tell us a little bit about what makes this building special and perhaps different from other embassies?  You said it was going to be quite open.  Perhaps you could also tell us a little bit about what sort of security there will be around the building.  I'd also be interested in knowing whether you think it's possible that President Bush will be coming on July 4th.

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, first of all ... well let me answer the last point.  None of us make commitments for the President of the United States, so we hope somewhere in the process of dedicating this new facility he would be able to participate, but that's unknown at this time.

 

Secondly, and it was before my time, obviously, when it became -- when the German government moved to Berlin and the United States required a new facility.  They investigated, and we could have built an Embassy, a Chancery, out in the woods somewhere for half the cost and twice the security, perhaps, but the desire to be a part of the, Germany, to be here where we were 69 years ago, to be open and a participant in the German political process, in the German cultural life, made it desirable to return to our original site.  This was considered by then-Secretary Powell, as well as the President, I'm sure, although it was before my time, and we did a great deal of negotiations with the City of Berlin and the government, and the federal government, and all concluded that it would be possible to have a secure facility at this site.  And everything that we've all done since then has been to assure that it is a secure site.  You can be sure that we will do everything within the possibility of the United States Government to make sure that it remains secure, and in that we obviously have the complete cooperation of both the City of Berlin and the Federal Government of Germany.  So I think that we are quite pleased.  On the other hand, we are not tucked away in the woods somewhere; we are here as a symbol of our desire to be a partner to Germany, and if that requires us to be here rather than in the woods, we have made the decision to be here.

 

Question:  Christian Walther, RBB Abendschau.  Mr. Ambassador, I would like to know -- there are some concerns in the public still that some day soon, sooner or later, you are going to close for security reasons the neighboring Ebertstraße and Behrenstraße.  Is this a possible scenario or is it (inaudible).

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, of course, the United States would not have the authority to close any street.  For that you would have to question and ask the government in Berlin, and they control that.  The goal of all of us is not that -- is actually to have a facility that does not require (inaudible).  You may, some of you may be aware that the streets were moved slightly, and things like this for the very purpose of being able to maintain them in an open situation, so we don't know what the future holds; but the intent of, I believe, Berlin is obviously to maintain those streets as open streets, but I refer you to the government of Berlin.

 

Question:  But I cannot resist a follow-up question.  André Spangenberg, DDP news agency.  One more to the security measures.  Are there any leftovers from the debate with the Berlin Senate over the years and years -- everything is now clear for July 4th and forthcoming years?

 

Ambassador Timken:  I'm not sure I totally got the question, one minute. 

 

Question:  It's a question about the bollards!  (laughter)

 

Ambassador Timken:  You mean like the famous ones on the front of the British Embassy there?

 

Question:  Yes.

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, there are none in this case.  Our bollards run along the exterior premises but they don't come on to the road.  There will be some change to the traffic flow in Pariser Platz, but Pariser Platz will continue to be an open area.

 

Question:  The initial plan was to move the Consulate General from Clayallee into this building.  As far as I know, you skipped this plan and you keep the Clayallee.  Will it be a permanent solution?

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, yes, of course the original conceptual designs and requirements of the new facility would have been determined five or six years ago and the world has changed a great deal since then.  In addition, the Congress of the United States cut the budget for the building; changes had to be made to accommodate that, and it is our firm intention to remain in the Clayallee facility.  We will keep our Consulate functions there and we are working on long-term arrangements with the German government to see that we can remain there.  And some component of our Berlin groups will be still in Clayallee.  The Mitte building that we know occupy will be returned to the German government so that they can open those streets and do whatever they want to do down there.

 

Question:  Ambassador Timken, Hans-Jürgen Maurus, ARD Radio, last row to the left.  As there were some compromises made, at least that's what we heard, allow me a personal question.  Do you really feel safe here at Pariser Platz?  And the second question - because you mentioned it -- otherwise I wouldn't have asked it -- is about the 60 years of Airlift.  How do you personally feel about the, let me call it pathetic determination to close down Tempelhof?  I'm sure you have more diplomatic words for it, but I could imagine that you have some feelings anyway.  Thank you.

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, let me start with the first question.  As part of the confirmation process of an ambassador, I stand before the United States Senate and make certain commitments, and my major commitment was to the safety of all the people who are part of the U.S. Mission in Germany as well as other Americans, and that is the highest thing that I have on my priority here; and if I felt that we could not have a secure facility we would not be moving into our new facility.  So it's clear that we believe within the constraints of the modern world that we -- our people, and our neighbors, will be secure.  So that's the first thing.

 

Secondly, the United States and the allies are obviously very proud of the Berlin Airlift, and what was accomplished by the Americans, and the British, and to some extent the French, was a phenomenal thing, which you all know the history of, or can know by going out to the Allied Museum; and we honor the people that lost their lives in that.  As you know, Americans and Brits died to bring food to the people of Berlin and we feel very strongly about that.  That is a historical event which inevitably, as I said, some historians believe, led to the possibility of reunification of Germany which is so important to all Germans today.  So it is something of immense historical importance and we intend to celebrate that as part of this year's activities.  How we do it, in what way, remains yet to be determined.  The fact that there is a political dispute between various parts of state and city and federal government in Germany over Tempelhof is not our fight.  We are, as participants in our host nation -- it's not our job to become involved in major political disputes between well-meaning people here in Germany; and so we would hope that we can celebrate this great anniversary and honor the memory of the people who made the sacrifices to make it possible, without problems, and we would ask members of Berlin government, the federal government, to honor that so that we can celebrate what is truly a historic event, and remind us all of the importance of that event and the sacrifices people made.

 

Question:  Hugh Williams from the Financial Times newspaper.  I also have two questions.  One is, you mentioned the budget, could you tell us the budget for building the Embassy, and perhaps tell us what the original budget was?  And secondly, picking up on the question from colleague from Reuters, a little bit more description of what it will be like to be in the Embassy would be nice.  Perhaps what the style -- you mentioned the architectural style is.  What's ... I see there is a large courtyard.  What's the feel of the place going to be like? 

 

Ambassador Timken:  OK.  With respect to the first I believe I am correct, maybe someone on our side knows this, that the original budget, which would have been five or six years ago, might have been 180 million U.S. dollars.  I think that was reduced to 130 million dollars, if I am correct, and as a process we changed the configuration of the building somewhat to accommodate those changes.  That's not a complete story because of course the retention of Clayallee building, and what we do there was not part of that budget and we will obviously spend money on that process as well.  So it's not apples to apples but basically that's the idea.  As I mentioned earlier in our existing temporary facilities, I call them temporary because when we moved from Bonn -- they were temporary just simply didn't have room to carry out Public Affairs type events, and we had Amerika Haus.  But as you well know we have in a series of closures of Amerika Hauses all over Germany, we no longer have that opportunity and therefore we built space into the new embassy to have functions that we had no space to do so before.  They will of course be by invitation only strictly following the requirements of security, but that's a normal procedure in anybody's embassy anywhere in the world, the German embassy in Washington, etc.  So I think we will obviously as a result have much more interaction with people visiting our building and seeing the art work that's there as well, and the courtyard offers us a unique opportunity because it is secure and yet it is going to be a beautiful place with this wonderful Ellsworth Kelly sculpture going right up the middle of it.  So it's just going to be a warmer, friendlier, fuzzier America.  And that's the way I feel and our current people of the Mission in Germany. 

 

Robert Wood:  We have time for one last question in the back.   

 

Question:  Schupelius, B.Z.  Mr. Ambassador, in addition to that question, what do you think about the front of your embassy?  Do you like it because I noticed that in the top row there were some windows missing and it is sort of concrete?  What does it say to you?  What are your feelings about the design? 

 

Ambassador Timken:  Well, again we chose one of the top architects in the world to create a world class facility.  We believe when we are finished and when we have all the landscaping that it will be a beautiful and wonderful addition to Pariser Platz.  It is an office building and therefore we intend to work in it and we have to configure it the way it fits our needs for storage and space and everything else; and so as a result it has configurations that are different than home or monument or something else like that.  It is a working office building. 

 

Robert Wood:  Well, thank you all very much for coming.  Mr. Ambassador, thank you.  Annette Thor, thank you very much for coming here.  Thank you all.