The French
and German leaders are attending a series of events to commemorate those killed
in the WWI campaign. They are expected to use the occasion to urge increased
European unity in the face of many challenges.
French
President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday
launched a series of events to commemorate the centenary of the longest battle of World War I, which took place near the northeastern French town of Verdun.
In the
first of several acts of remembrance, the French and German leaders laid
wreaths at the German military cemetery at Consenvoye, just north of Verdun.
The remains of some 11,000 German soldiers are buried at the cemetery.
Hollande
and Merkel then attended a ceremony in the Verdun town hall. In her speech,
Merkel said Verdun stood not only for the "incomprehensible horror and
senselessness of war," but also for "the lessons it had taught and
the German-French reconciliation."
"Only
those who know the past can draw instruction from it and use this to shape a
good future," she said, adding that the friendly reception she had
received as a German chancellor in the town was "not at all to be taken
for granted."
She and
Hollande also presented the mayor of Verdun with this year's Adenauer-de Gaulle
Prize, which honors those who have contributed to the German-French friendship.
In his
remarks, Hollande said that Verdun had not frozen to become a cult of the dead,
but always looked to the future to fulfill its mission of peace.
Ten-month
battle
Some 3,400
French and German young people created an open-air presentation representing an
encounter between the young people who had died at Verdun in 1916, and those
living today.
#Verdun2016 > 3.400 jeunes déferlent sur la nécropole nationale de #Douaumont https://t.co/AEJ1Wp4l2g— iTELE (@itele) May 29, 2016
The
international ceremony was held at the Douaumont ossuary, where the remains of
130,000 soldiers from both sides are buried. The presentation was choreographed
by German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff.
Also in
attendance were European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the
president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.
 |
| A number of events are planned on Sunday in Verdun |
and German
defense minister Ursula von der Leyen.
The newly
renovated memorial at Verdun was formally opened by Merkel and Hollande.
The Battle
of Verdun, pitting the Germans and the French against one another, lasted for
10 months from February to December 1916, and claimed more than 300,000 lives.
They included 163,000 French and 143,000 German soldiers.
The battle
was one of the bloodiest of the entire 1914-1918 war but failed to produce a
victor.
Cementing
the German-French friendship
The
cemetery at Douaumont has additional significance as the place where the then
West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former French President Francois
Mitterand joined hands during a 1984 commemoration of the battle in a historic
symbol of reconciliation between the two nations.
 |
| Mitterand (L.) and Kohl: a historic gesture of reconciliation |
Merkel
referred to this milestone in her speech at Verdun, saying that it was an image
that had "burnt itself deeply into our nations' memories."
Speaking on
the eve of the commemorations, Merkel said the fact she was invited to the
event this year was a sign of how good German-French relations now were.
She also
expressed the hope that Britain would not vote to leave the European Union in a
referendum to be held next month.
Germany and
France are widely seen as the two leading "motors" of the 28-member
bloc, which is currently facing heightened challenges, such as a massive influx
of migrants and refugees, and financial crises in several member states.
The
potential exit of Britain from the bloc has added to a widespread feeling that
EU unity is under threat.
tj/jm/sms/rc (dpa, AFP)
tj/jm/sms/rc (dpa, AFP)
Related Article:
"The president gestured as if he was going to give me a hug, so we hugged." https://t.co/hpvOCKMYof #Hiroshima pic.twitter.com/b7yQf7ntA5— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 27, 2016
“… Human Nature is Changing
There's a new concept afoot, a change in Human nature. We've spoken about this before. How many of you studied European history? And in school, did your mind fill up with all of the dates you had to memorize? Who conquered whom and when? Over and over and over, every single country had their turn conquering another country. Borders moved constantly. As far back as you want to go, that's what Humans did. They separated, gathered, and conquered. But as little as 50 years ago, it all stopped.
We've said this before. Fifty years ago, a seed, an idea, was planted at the end of World War II. "Let's put these European countries together," they said. "Let's even drop the borders and eventually give them one currency." Do this and they'll never war again, they predicted, for countries with common economic sources don't go to war! And that's exactly what's happened. Did it work? It's fairly fresh, but their money is threatening to take over the strength of your money, did you notice? It's worth more than yours. They still struggle to make it work and balance it. But then again, you do the same in the United States, always fine tuning the unity.
We've said this before. Fifty years ago, a seed, an idea, was planted at the end of World War II. "Let's put these European countries together," they said. "Let's even drop the borders and eventually give them one currency." Do this and they'll never war again, they predicted, for countries with common economic sources don't go to war! And that's exactly what's happened. Did it work? It's fairly fresh, but their money is threatening to take over the strength of your money, did you notice? It's worth more than yours. They still struggle to make it work and balance it. But then again, you do the same in the United States, always fine tuning the unity.
South America is considering the same thing right now. The seeds are being planted in Brazil. Within a generation, they would love to see the borders dropped and one currency. Can they do it? Perhaps. Perhaps it will take longer. Why do it? Because they see the European Union with the strongest currency on Earth. We've said this before. Here is a prediction: Perhaps not in your time, but there'll come a day when there are only five currencies in the world, because continents will start understanding that unification creates peace and prosperity. Separation creates chaos. What a concept. …”
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