French journal Du Dimanche quoted Ambassador of France in the US Philippe Etienne saying "This statue is a double symbol of freedom, but also of hospitality.”
According to the journal, the statue will set sail for the US on June 7 and will arrive there just in time for the US Independence Day (July 4).The statue will stay in the US for 10 years.
The new statue is much smaller than the original, being only 2.83 meters in height and will be traveling to the US in a French-flagged ship, a specifically equipped container that contains sensors. It will reach New York and installed on Ellis Island, overlooking the first statue which stands on Liberty Island. It will then be transported to the residence of the Ambassador of France in Washington.
"I warned the neighbors and the mayor of Washington that the statue will be visible to everyone from the street," Etienne said.
He further added that the second statue is tribute to "all those on both sides of the Atlantic who allowed the construction of the Statue of Liberty and those who fought for what it symbolizes around the world."
The 93-meter original was donated to the US by France in 1886. The date of the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence is engraved at the front of the statue (July 4, 1776). The monument was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.(UNI)
