July 2008
U.S. Embassy hosts 4th of July Celebration
Embassy Events, July 3, 2008
Mr. and Mrs. Ghafari with the U.S. Marines.
The U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana hosted a gathering to celebrate America's Independence Day, the 4th of July, on the evening of July 3rd. Ambassador Ghafari greeted guests at Fužine Castle in Ljubljana, where they enjoyed a classic 4th of July barbecue and music from both American and Slovene traditions.
In his remarks, the Ambassador noted that one of America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, is known to have studied texts describing the ancient Slovene democratic tradition of farmers consenting to be governed by their dukes. Having received the foundations of democracy from other nations, Ambassador Ghafari said that, "our gift back to the world is our bold optimistic belief that the democratic spirit of tolerance and respect for human rights, exemplified by the 4th of July, should and can be accessible to all the peoples of the world."
Ambassador Ghafari also welcomed the participation of several Slovene-Americans in the celebration, including a trio of young American singers of Slovene heritage, who sang the national anthems and other traditional songs, and a Slovene-American college student, who gave the Ambassador's remarks in Slovene.