Obama awards German chancellor highest civilian honour

Jun 8, 2011, 0:58 GMT

Washington - US President Barack Obama presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour given to a civilian by the US government.

Obama gave the medal to Merkel Tuesday at a rare state dinner designed to honour the chancellor as the first East German to lead a united Germany after the fall of the Eastern Bloc and for her commitment to freedom.

'Tonight, we honor Angela Merkel not for being denied her freedom or even for attaining her freedom but for what she achieved when she gained her freedom,' Obama said.

'Determined to finally have her say, she entered politics, rising to become the first East German to lead a united Germany, the first woman chancellor in German history and an eloquent voice for human rights and dignity around the world,' the president said.

Obama raised a glass to toast Merkel at the lavish evening event at the White House, which was the first state dinner in nearly 20 years for a German leader and was meant to symbolize the close friendship between the two countries.

Quoting Merkel's words in a 2009 address to the US Congress, Obama said, 'To freedom, which 'must be struggled for and then defended anew every day of our lives.''

In thanking Obama for the award, Merkel reflected on her childhood in East Germany, saying she never imagined one day standing in the Rose Garden of the White House and being honoured by a US president.

'I see the Presidential Medal of Freedom as a testimony of the excellent German-American partnership,' she said. 'Our countries stand together for peace and freedom.'

'The yearning for freedom cannot be contained by walls for long,' she said, noting the award was also for the men and women who fought against communism.

'It was this yearning that brought down the Iron Curtain that divided Germany and Europe and, indeed, the world into two blocs,' she said. 'America stood resolutely on the side of freedom. It is to this resolve that we Germans owe the unity of our country in peace and freedom.'

Merkel, wearing a long black gown with an asymmetrical neckline, and her husband, Joachim Sauer, were greeted at the White House by Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who wore a long white and silver gown.

The menu, designed to celebrate the first harvest of spring, included many herbs and vegetables grown in the White House garden created by Michelle Obama. The first course was a chopped salad, followed by a second course of tuna tartar.

The main course was Maryland blue crab ravioli served on a bed of wild ramp puree, followed by apple strudel for desert.

The evening's entertainment included the National Symphony Orchestra and musicians George Li and James Taylor.

Obama had met with Merkel earlier Tuesday for discussions on a wide range of international issues. She also attended a luncheon at the State Department hosted by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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