In Berlin you cannot escape the past

The daily Le Monde comments on the choice of venue for tomorrow's speech by US presidential candidate Barack Obama in Berlin: "Here you cannot get away from the past. Obama wanted to hold his speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of the German capital and of the division of the city, Germany, Europe and the world into two opposing blocs during the Cold War. ... But now Obama is to speak at the foot of the Siegessäule, the column that glorifies the victory of Prussia over Denmark, ... Austria ... and France. ... These dates are less glorious for Europe. And this victory column, which originally stood in front of the Reichstag, was moved to the middle of the Tiergarten by the Nazis. ... There are no neutral places in Berlin. ... Among other things because the Germans have decided not to forget."

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