Obama to become first sitting US President to visit Hiroshima
May 10, 2016 20:23
Barack Obama will make a historic visit to Hiroshima this month to "highlight his continued commitment" to nuclear disarmament, becoming the first sitting US president to tour the site where America first dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people.
The White House on Tuesday said that Obama, who has been often accused by critics of making an "apology tour" to the Middle East and Europe during the first year of his presidency for the misdeeds of the Bush administration, will visit Hiroshima when he travels to Japan and Vietnam from May 21 to 28.
"The President will make a historic visit to Hiroshima with Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe to highlight his continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a blog post that "in making this visit, the President will shine a spotlight on the tremendous and devastating human toll of war."
Rhodes said that Obama, a Nobel laureate, will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, a once-ruined site at the centre of the city dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing, on May 27 where he will share his reflections on the significance of the site the events that occurred there.
But he reaffirmed that the US president is unlikely to seek apology for that chapter in the American history.
"He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future," Rhodes wrote.
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances