Diplomats make Reagan Library, Simi Valley a stop on U.S. tour
By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

LEARNING OUR HISTORY- Diplomat Odonjil Banzragch and wife Enkhtuya Ravjar of Mongolia look at photographs of Nancy Reagan with international heads of state during a recent tour of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Ambassadors representing 41 countries came to the library for a tour and dinner to learn about America outside of their embassies in Washington, D.C. Their California tour also included stops in San Francisco and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers

Two charter buses filled with ambassadors and led by a police motorcade rolled up Presidential Drive in Simi Valley Monday for a tour of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Upon arrival, the dignitaries were hustled into the museum for a quick tour of the grounds and exhibits before attending a cocktail reception and dinner that evening.

The group, representing more than 55 countries, viewed the gowns in "Nancy Reagan- A First Lady's Style," the life-size Oval Office replica, the historic slab of the Berlin Wall, the memorial site where Reagan is buried, Air Force One, the archives and the Reagans' private quarters.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers A SIGHT TO SEE- Reagan Library staff and volunteers lead a group of ambassadors across the lawn behind the museum for a view of Ventura County's hills in the afternoon light.

The visit was part of a recent initiative by U.S. Chief of Protocol Nancy G. Brinker aimed at getting the diplomatic community out of Washington, D.C., circles and into American cities where they can learn firsthand about American life.

Brinker's program, called Experience America, is intended to showcase the diversity of the American landscape and allow the Diplomatic Corps to connect with the private sector, nonprofit organizations, academia, and state and local government officials across the nation.

The tours also expose the ambassadors to the country's leaders in business, technology, healthcare and environmental practices.

Ephraim Hlophe, ambassador of the kingdom of Swaziland, praised Brinker for developing the outreach program.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," he said. "We learn more about the states; we see more, and we understand more."

The Reagan Library was the second stop on a weeklong excursion through California that began Monday with a tour of the new $1-billion Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and ended today, Friday, with a lecture at the Hoover Institution outside San Francisco.

In between, the nearly 100 diplomats and their spouses visited the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, Fort Baker and the California Academy of Sciences.

"This has been quite an exciting trip for us," said Faida Mitifu, ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as she strolled through the library Tuesday. "For me personally, when I arrived in the United States the first time, Reagan was still the president. I'm kind of reliving some of the things I used to see on television, and it's quite vivid and quite impressive."

Bockari Stevens, ambassador of Sierra Leone, agreed, calling the library "phenomenal."

"It shows what a great man Ronald Reagan was and what a good family he had, as well as the appreciation of the people of California for what he stood for," Stevens said. "(The library) is a source of pride for the American people and, I would say, the world at large because during his political life (Reagan) made a lot of friends in Africa and the world, and this is reflected in what is available here today."

The visit had special meaning for Zoran Jolevski, ambassador of Macedonia, whose homeland fought for years to gain independence from a Socialist government.

"He managed to pull down the Berlin Wall and to bring democracy to southeastern Europe, where I am coming (from)," Jolevski said. "It shows how wise a president he was, and I am proud to be now in his library."

Jolevski was overjoyed to find a 300-year-old flintlock rifle in the museum's archives that was given to Reagan by Macedonia.

He couldn't help pulling out his digital camera to snap a picture.

While the week's events mostly included highlevel briefings, the diplomats did manage to squeeze in a bit of fun.

Mitifu said she was looking forward to visiting Universal Studios to see where her favorite movies were filmed, while Hlophe was excited to experience the colorful San Francisco culture for the first time. Stevens said he couldn't wait to see where Al Capone was locked up on Alcatraz.

"We've heard a lot about California, and I think it's thrilling to be here in person," Stevens said. "It's a wonderful place."