- Title: On eve of Armistice Day centenary, Germany's Merkel delivers message of peace
- Date: 10th November 2018
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 10, 2018) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ENTERING ROOM TO GIVE STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "It is a very symbolic gesture that French President Emmanuel Macron invited me, the German Chancellor, to Compiegne. For the first time since the Federal Republic of Germany was created, a German chancellor and a French president are standing here together in a place where a ceasefire was signed and which back then did not secure a peaceful future. And that is why it has been very touching for me to talk with many personalities, look them in the eye and see how clearly they expressed how important it is to have peace today and that it is not for granted. And this day is not only a reminder but also a motivation. And the fact that we are starting a peace summit here tomorrow and that I will hold a speech there after the memorial for the end of World War One, which brought so much suffering to the world, that shows that today the will is there to - and I say that on behalf of the German Federal Republic - do everything in our hands to reach a more peaceful world order even though we know there is still a lot to do." MERKEL LEAVING ROOM
- Embargoed: 24th November 2018 17:32
- Keywords: German Chancellor Angela Merkel international ceremony World War I
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00195X8J7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday (November 10) that there is a strong will to reach a more peaceful world order as she addressed the media ahead of Sunday's international ceremony that marks the end of World War I.
Earlier on Saturday, Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron held hands and rested their heads against one another in a poignant ceremony to mark the signing of the Armistice peace agreement.
The last time French and German delegations had sat in the same place was when Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler forced the surrender of French authorities after invading in 1940.
More than 3 million French and German troops were among an estimated 10 million soldiers who died in the Great War of 1914-1918. Much of the heaviest fighting was in trenches in northern France and Belgium.
A German delegation signed the Armistice before sunrise on Nov. 11, 1918, in a private train belonging to the commander of French forces, Ferdinand Foch, parked on rail track running through the Compiegne Forest. Hours later, at 11.00 a.m., the war ended. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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