VIDEO: Obama wanted to hold a Rally in Germany at the Brandenburg Gate, but Angela Merkel has said Absolutely NO! - ""It is unusual to hold election rallies abroad," he said. "No German candidate for high office would even think of using the National Mall (in Washington) or Red Square in Moscow for a rally because it would not be seen as appropriate."
US presidential contender Barack Obama is expected to hold a rally in the German capital in late July. Berliners are thrilled, but Germany's leader feels a little uneasy about the candidate's election campaign event.
A spokesman for conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she had "limited understanding" for the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate's interest in holding a major policy speech in front of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate during his visit at the end of the month.
Merkel, wearing an orange jacket, with European leaders posing in front of the Brandenburg Gate during an EU summitBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Merkel (center) thinks the gate should be reserved for elected leaders
"It is unusual to hold election rallies abroad," he said. "No German candidate for high office would even think of using the National Mall (in Washington) or Red Square in Moscow for a rally because it would not be seen as appropriate."
Members of Obama's team have confirmed that he will visit Berlin on July 24 as part of a European and Middle Eastern tour that will also take him to France, Britain, Israel and Jordan.
They said that he plans to give a speech in the German capital. While Obama has reportedly not yet made a decision on where his appearance will take place, Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German reunification, has largely been pegged as the most likely spot.
Obama "…will choose (a site) that makes most sense for him and his German hosts," the senator's spokesman told reporters, adding that Obama was looking forward to the opportunity to meet Merkel.
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