New U.S. embassy in Berlin criticized

Published: July 4, 2008 at 6:19 PM BERLIN, July 4 (UPI) -- The new U.S. embassy in Germany, criticized by some as ill-conceived in its design and location, was officially opened in Berlin Friday. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and U.S. Ambassador William Timken cut a red ribbon to mark the opening of the $130 million diplomatic headquarters. About 4,500 people were invited to the ceremony by U.S. officials. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled how the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan had once stood nearby and appealed to the Soviet Union's last communist leader: "Mr. (Mikhail) Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Bush credited the wall's removal with "ending the division of Europe." While German critics have focused on the structure's bland design, U.S. critics have lambasted the... [read full story]