U.S. embassy in Ottawa marks 9/11 anniversary

The American embassy in Ottawa unveiled a photo exhibit Friday that commemorates the outpouring of support by Canadians on Sept.11, 2001 and in the days after the terror attacks.

The commemorative exhibit, titled "Thank You Canada" is one of the ways the American embassy is marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The photos, displayed along the building's fence,show scenes outside the embassy in downtown Ottawa that were taken of the bouquets of flowers, cards, candles and other gestures that were left there by Canadians a decade ago.

"On its own, each was an intimate gesture of sympathy. But taken together they were a powerful symbol of solidarity. To walk past this display of compassion was to know that in our moment of tragedy, the citizens of the United States were not alone," Ambassdor David Jacobson said at an event to unveil the exhibit.

Jacobson said the Sept.11 anniversary will be a time of solemn remembrance but it's also a time to commemorate the bonds of friendship that were formed out of the tragedy, and the photo exhibit isa means of doing that.

"In the days that followed Sept.11, 2001 the kindness ofCanadians was heard as loud as any, it was heard as loud as ever. We value our friendship not only with Canada, but with you, the Canadian people," he said.

Jacobson will be spending the Sept.11 anniversary in Gander, Newfoundland. Residents there took in thousands of passengers whose flights were diverted when American air space was shut down the day of the attacks.

The ambassador, who was a lawyer in Chicago a decade ago,said he had to pick one place to spend the anniversary."For me, it seemed the right place to be was in Gander, to thank not just the people in Gander, but to thank the Canadian people," he said.

Ottawa's mayor, Jim Watson, said the scenes captured in the photo exhibit show the outpouring of sympathy displayed by Canadians for their American neighbours.

"Its a reminder of those welost and those who live on with the memory of that day," said Watson. "But it also reminds us of the generosity and the kindness of the human spirit and it makes me very proud of our city, ofour country and the very specialrelationship that we have with the United States," he said.

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