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Obama starts his second German tour

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-05 11:49

DRESDEN, Germany -- US President Barack Obama arrived at eastern German city of Dresden here on Thursday evening, starting his 24-hour tour of Germany.

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This is Obama's second trip to Germany in nine weeks after he moved in the White House. Earlier on April, he visited southwestern German city of Baden-Baden to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

During his stay in Germany, Obama is scheduled to tour Dresden, pay his respects at the former Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald and visit injured soldiers in a US military hospital in Landstuhl.

Dresden has geared up for Obama's visit.

US President Obama is pictured after arriving in Dresden, Germany June 4, 2009. [Agencies]

Over 5,000 public servants had already been mobilized to directly involve in serving Obama's trip. Security helicopters were patrolling the sky, and heavy police force shielded the downtown Dresden and guarded the routes for Obama's visit.

Local media reported that even swimming and fishing in local rivers were temporarily banned during Obama's stay.

On Thursday evening, thousands of local people were holding a grand gala in downtown Dresden to extend their welcome to Obama, the first US President who has set foot in the city.

Thursday's Saechsische Zeitung, a major local newspaper, frontpaged "Welcome to Dresden, Mr. President" and Obama's huge smiling photo.

The German Times, a local English-language tabloid, on Thursday released a special issue for Obama's visit, titling "Welcome to Saxony," which eulogized Obama and the strong ties between the German federal state and the United States.

On Friday morning, Obama is due to tour Dresden, which was rebuilt after heavy bombing during World War II, including the well-known the Frauenkirche church. Obama then is scheduled to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

After the midday, Merkel will accompany Obama to Buchenwald, located near the city of Weimar in Thuringia state. There, the two leaders plan to meet Holocaust survivors, notably Jewish writer and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

By the end of World War II, Buchenwald was the largest Nazi concentration camp on German soil. Around 56,000 prisoners died through execution or maltreatment before the camp was liberated byUS forces in April 1945.

Local media revealed that Obama's great-uncle, Charles Payne, was amongst the soldiers who liberated a subsidiary camp of Buchenwald on April 5, 1945.

Later on Friday, Obama will also pay a visit to injured American soldiers at the US military hospital in Landstuhl, then the president will travel to France to attend ceremonies in Normandy marking the 65th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings.