IN THE flash news ‘US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months’ published on November 7 we incorrectly said that the Embassy will move from Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava in 24 months. In fact US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months, but expects to actually move from Hviezdoslavovo Square at a later date.
The Slovak Spectator apologises for any misunderstanding this may have caused.
See below the correct version:
US Embassy wants to find a new site in 24 months
THE US Embassy will move from Hviezdoslavovo Square in the centre of Bratislava, as the US State Department wants to construct a new building and has already launched activities to that effect, Embassy Press Attaché Janelle Luna told the TASR newswire on November 6.
“The State Department has made the decision because the current Embassy building doesn’t meet the security requirements set by Congress for US diplomatic missions abroad,” Luna said in May, as quoted by TASR.
The Embassy has been in a dispute with the Bratislava city authorities, which criticised the security fence around the building, claiming that it spoils the look of the square. The fence is located on a plot owned by the city.
The original rental contract should have expired in February 2015, but the city council decided to extend it by another 18 months. Nevertheless, as the Embassy expects that the new building may be completed only in five or six years, the fence will most probably remain in place, according to TASR.
According to Luna, the Embassy is still looking for a plot for a new building. It should have an area of at least 1.6 hectares, should be located in the city centre and should have good infrastructure connections. The Embassy wants to find new site in 24 months, according to the SITA newswire.
Source: TASR, SITA
