Baden-Wuerttemberg hosts Large July 4 Event

UNCLAS FRANKFURT 005840 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR GM SUBJECT: Baden-Wuerttemberg hosts Large July 4 Event ¶1. SUMMARY: Continuing an annual tradition, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and the German-American Institute in cooperation with ConGen Frankfurt held a high-profile Independence Day reception in Stuttgart for three hundred German guests. END SUMMARY. ¶2. On July 1, the James F. Byrnes German-American Institute celebrated Independence Day on the Stuttgart compound of SWR (Germany's second largest TV broadcaster). The event was well attended with over three hundred guests including dignitaries from government, business, and U.S. and German military. The B-W state government and the city of Stuttgart -- which together give the Byrnes Institute approx. EUR 250,000 support per year -- have co-sponsored the event since the closure of ConGen Stuttgart in 1996. ¶3. Keynote speakers (including the Consul General, State Secretary Rudolf Boehmler and Stuttgart Lord Mayor Wolfgang SIPDIS Schuster),highlighted the state's strong ties to the United States including U.S. military based in the state. State and local politicians committed to do everything possible to keep U.S. armed forces in Baden-Wuerttemberg. High-level EUCOM attendance and the performance of a EUCOM color guard gave the event a traditional July 4th flavor. ¶4. COMMENT: Stuttgart papers gave very positive coverage to this unique annual event reflecting enduring U.S.-German friendship in the state. END COMMENT. BODDE