Posted by Tim Forsyth on Mar 05, 2009 - 12:05 PM
![Interior of Egmont Palace, Brussels, Belgium, Mar. 5, 2009. [State Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0305_egmont_brussels_m.jpg)
About the Author: Tim Forsyth serves as the Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.
Secretary of State Clinton has just arrived at the elegant Egmont Palace in downtown Brussels, coming straight from the airport and the Middle East portion of her trip. Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht greeted her warmly as she entered the building from the cobblestone courtyard of the Palace for an informal dinner with her counterparts from EU and NATO nations, plus the Secretary-General…
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Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Mar 05, 2009 - 11:44 AM
![EU flags are mirrored in the windows of EU Council headquarters, Brussels, Mar. 12, 2008. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0305_eu_flags_m.jpg)
En route to Brussels, Secretary Clinton reflected on her travels in the Middle East and looked ahead to her visit to Europe. She responded to reporters' questions on Iran, Russia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Secretary Clinton said:
"I just wanted to make a couple of points as we head to Europe. I think that the message out of the last three days is that the United…
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Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Feb 11, 2009 - 09:17 AM
Secretary Clinton said: "The minister and I just had a wide-ranging, good discussion about global, European, and bilateral issues. The Czech Republic is an important ally of the United States…
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Posted by Renee Earle on Jan 21, 2009 - 10:53 AM
![Front pages of Belgian newspapers displayed at an office in Brussels, Jan. 21, 2009. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0121_brussels_newspapers_m.jpg)
Hello from Brussels, the administrative capital of the European Union, and, for many, the heart of Europe. Last night, that heart was broadly given to our new President, Barack Obama.
TV channels across Europe carried the ceremonies, and this morning it was hard to find a newspaper without a front cover carrying the image of the U.S. inauguration. Some papers ran 20 pages of coverage, and “open letters” from Foreign Ministers and school children detailed recommendations and aspirations for a world that can be renewed. From small towns to the European Union’s principal institutions, all shared in the significance of the moment. Braine- le-Comte, a small town…
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Posted by Adnan Siddiqi on Jan 20, 2009 - 12:25 PM
![Sen. Barack Obama and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, France July 25, 2008. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0120_obama_bh_m.jpg)
Throughout this weekend and heading toward today’s Inauguration ceremony in Washington, the air waves, metros and sidewalk cafes of Paris have been abuzz. Media commentators, politicians, professors, corporate leaders, movers, shakers, immigrants and young people will all be focused on one historic news story -- Barack Obama’s swearing-in on the Capitol’s steps, live on TF1, France 2 and France 24. French bloggers will also be typing away overtime, exchanging thoughts and hopes about what lies ahead.
There are multiple reasons behind Obama-mania in France (some not entirely rational),…
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