Berlin mayor implores Trump: 'Mr President, don't build this wall'
Berlin Wall
'We Berliners know better than most the pain caused when a whole continent is split by barb wire and walls'
The mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller,has issued a statementto US PresidentDonald Trumpurging himnot to build the proposedwallat theUS-Mexico border.
Read the statement in full below:
Berlin knows what walls are about.
After the Nazi's defeat inWorld War II, Germany's capital of Berlinwas bissected by a 155-kilometre long wallknown as the Berlin Wall. The western side, known as West Germany, was occupied by the Allied forces.The eastern section, or EastGermany, was occupied by the former Soviet Union.
This separation lasted through, and came to symbolise, theCold War, when the tension between the nuclear-armed Americans and the Soviets--ideological proxies ofcapitalism and communism--was running high.
The Cold War ended with the reunification of Berlin in 1989, which literally saw the wall torn down, as family and friends came togetherafter decades.It becameone of the 20th century's most iconic historical moments.
Trump originallypromisedthatMexico wouldpay for his proposedwall.Mexico steadfastly refused to pay one cent of the costs.Now, Republicans say that Congresswill front the money.
The costs for Trump'sproposed wall vary wildly, with House Speaker Paul Ryan sayingbetween $4 billion to $8 billion is "about right".
MIT Technology Review pegsthe costat somewherebetween $27 billion to $40 billion.
(WION)