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News Note: White House Welcome for German leader

 


In the words of German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "Freedom does not come about of itself. It must be struggled for..." The German leader was welcomed to the White House June 6 for a one-day visit to the United States. [Photo credit: Dwayne Leslie]

Chancellor honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom

IRLA deputy secretary general, Dwayne Leslie, was a guest at the White House June 6 as President Barak Obama welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a one-day official visit to the United States. Later that evening, Mr. Obama presented Dr. Merkel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of what he called her tremendous commitment to promoting and protecting individual freedoms in Germany and around the world. In his presentation, President Obama quoted the words of Chancellor Merkel, who as a child grew up under the social and legal constraints of East Germany’s communist regime. In describing her experience, she has said: “Freedom does not come about of itself.  It must be struggled for, and then defended anew, every day of our lives.”     [Bettina Krause/IRLA]