US President
Donald Trump today, cancelled a trip to
the UK to open the new US embassy on the grounds that it was a “bad deal”
concluded by the Obama administration.
.. .. that obviously attracted lot of media attention, with Britain
trying to project that none in Britain wanted him to come. One will understand the truth based on
whichever version one gets to read ! ..
Chennaites would know the surging crowds that stand in front of the US
embassy near Gemini bridge every day waiting to get visas. Also we would never understand
why fringe parties would paste posters and conduct some demonstration nearer
the Embassy [though permission is denied mostly ~ some had always violated such
permissions] – would it in any manner reach the US administration – would the
shouts ‘imperialism down, down !’ would ever be heard in US – and have some effect
??
US Consulate is an all
important building ~ a diplomatic mission is an
organisation present in another country facilitating
visas and many many other documentary
and other processes.. The embassy, which is the main office of a
country's diplomatic representatives in the capital city of another country,
whereas consulates are smaller diplomatic missions which are normally located
outside the capital of the receiving state. Though believed to be so, not all diplomatic
missions enjoy full extraterritorial
status and in those cases are not sovereign territory of the represented state. However, most major countries do enjoy that
right and are afforded special privileges (such as immunity from most local
laws) by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomats themselves
still retain full diplomatic immunity, and (as an adherent to the Vienna
Convention) the host country may not enter the premises of the mission without
permission of the represented country, even to put out a fire. Thus sometimes, people do take political
asylums in diplomatic missions !
Trump is in
news for altogether different reasons ~ the much commented man’s cancelled trip
to London is the news !! ~ it is all about a building which was never
owned by United States but it had control - a 999-year leasehold,
but the freehold is owned by Grosvenor Estates.
BBC reports that the decision to
move away from the Grade II listed building to Nine Elms was taken by the
George W Bush administration in October 2008, shortly before he left office. The
state department said it would begin construction on a new site in Nine Elms
and the existing embassy was put up for sale immediately. It said it considered
renovating the existing building but said the goal of moving to a secure,
modern and environmentally sustainable site could best be met by moving.
There were reports of
Donald Trump blaming Obama's 'bad deal' for cancelling his trip to Britain ~
the US President pulls out of US embassy
opening because old site was 'sold for peanuts.' US President was expected to
make his first trip to the UK since entering office but that has turned
damp-squib or rather has triggered a huge political row in UK.
The US President
condemned his predecessor Barack Obama tweeting shortly before midnight in Washington
to criticise the move to an 'off location' at Nine Elms, south of the River
Thames, as a 'bad deal'. The tweet to his 47million followers sparked an overwhelming
social media backlash. Meanwhile, as
questions were raised over whether it was a 'bad deal', property experts said
the US may have 'sold the family silver' - but sold high and bought low. Mr
Trump tweeted overnight that he was 'not a big fan of the Obama Administration
having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for
'peanuts', only to build a new one in an off location for $1.2billion'
At a cost of
£750million ($1billion), the new embassy near Battersea is significantly more expensive
than the £315million ($431million) the Mayfair site was sold for, as revealed
by Land Registry documents today. And some
media experts pointed out that Mr Trump wrongly blamed Barack Obama for the
embassy sale, when George W. Bush was actually in the White House at the time
in 2008.
London Mayor, who has
clashed with the US President in the past, said a visit by Mr Trump would have
been met by 'mass peaceful protests'. Donald Trump was ridiculed by the people
of Battersea today after saying the US embassy was moving to an 'off location'.
Mr Trump's dismissal of Vauxhall was also questioned by David Hatcher, of
Estates Gazette, who described it as 'a prime central London location'. 'At pre
sent to some it might look like a load of cranes and construction sites with
not going on around them,' he said. 'However, Vauxhall's star has undoubtedly
risen and Apple's decision to locate its giant new headquarters at the iconic
Battersea Power Station is perhaps the ultimate rubber stamp of approval that
shows it is establishing itself as a prime central London location. Given its long-established history as an area
rich with nightlife with ever more techhie types with plenty of disposable
income set to move, as well as those that have bought pricey flats, it will
likely only become more appealing as time goes.' Situated in the London Borough
of Wandsworth, Battersea boasts many attractions, including its iconic power
station, which first started operating in 1933, when it was only half-built. It
is also home to the capital's only licensed heliport on the south bank, as well
as a family-run zoo designed specially for children in Battersea Park. Its
Peace Pagoda - which offers panoramic views of Chelsea Embankment - was
presented by Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fuji in 1984 as part of a Japanese
movement to promote peace across the globe following the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
And Nine Elms, where
the embassy is located, is home to the New Covent Garden Market. The biggest
wholesale flower, fruit and vegetable market in the UK, it spans 57 acres and
is used by 200 firms. His visit next
month would without doubt have been met by mass peaceful protests. MailOnline and other British media feels that this
just reinforces what a mistake it was
for Theresa May to rush and extend an invitation of a state visit in the first
place.
Standing in London's
Grosvenor Square, in the heart of Mayfair, itself the wealthiest part of the
city, the old embassy was bought by Qatari Diar – the property development arm
of the Qatari royal family – in 2013. The Qataris will now spend $1.4bn
(£1.08bn) to refurbish the building and turn it into a five-star Rosewood hotel
with 137 bedrooms.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
12th Jan
2018.
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