The Germans also have VE Day celebrations.
The most politically and diplomatically sensitive of Monday's VE Day celebrations took place in Berlin. Church bells tolled in remembrance as international heads of state attended a solemn ceremony in the Schauspielhaus theatre.
But the VE Day events were marred by a number of demonstrations by protesters fearing that a veil is being drawn over Germany's past. Leaders from around the world came to Berlin's Schauspielhaus to commemorate the end of the Second World War and the end of the Nazis' Third Reich.
The theatre is just a few hundred yards from the bunker where Adolf Hitler committed suicide in 1945. The dignitaries were welcomed by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his wife. British Prime Minister John Major arrived with a message of hope and reconciliation. America was represented by Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper.
The Berlin ceremony was one of the final acts of the outgoing and gravely ill French President Francois Mitterrand. Inside the theatre, musicians played to the audience before the leaders rose to make their individual speeches. German President Roman Herzog outlined a vision of a Europe growing in political unity. That theme was echoed by US Vice-President Al Gore and British Prime Minister John Major.
The most politically and diplomatically sensitive of Monday's VE Day celebrations took place in Berlin. Church bells tolled in remembrance as international heads of state attended a solemn ceremony in the Schauspielhaus theatre.
But the VE Day events were marred by a number of demonstrations by protesters fearing that a veil is being drawn over Germany's past. Leaders from around the world came to Berlin's Schauspielhaus to commemorate the end of the Second World War and the end of the Nazis' Third Reich.
The theatre is just a few hundred yards from the bunker where Adolf Hitler committed suicide in 1945. The dignitaries were welcomed by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his wife. British Prime Minister John Major arrived with a message of hope and reconciliation. America was represented by Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper.
The Berlin ceremony was one of the final acts of the outgoing and gravely ill French President Francois Mitterrand. Inside the theatre, musicians played to the audience before the leaders rose to make their individual speeches. German President Roman Herzog outlined a vision of a Europe growing in political unity. That theme was echoed by US Vice-President Al Gore and British Prime Minister John Major.
