BRUSSELS \u2014 Even before they face off tomorrow night in Seattle, Belgium and the the United States are already at loggerheads over America’s birthday celebrations.<\/p>\n

U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White insisted that Brussels’ historic Parc du Cinquantenaire was left spotless after his lavish festivities marking 250 years of American independence, as Belgian authorities probe whether fireworks damaged one of the capital\u2019s historic buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in immediate contact with the Belgian company that was hired to coordinate all event logistics, including the fireworks company,\u201d White wrote on X<\/a> on Friday. He said the contractor would \u201cremediate where it is required\u201d and insisted that \u201cCinquantenaire has never looked any cleaner than it was the day after we cleaned up after our event,\u201d posting photographs of the park looking immaculate.<\/p>\n

More than 8,800 invited guests attended the June 28 celebration \u2014 one of the biggest diplomatic receptions ever staged in Brussels \u2014 organized by White, featuring a large fireworks display beneath the triumphal arch and a gala<\/a> held in Cinquantenaire\u2019s Royal Museum of Art and History building.<\/p>\n

The ambassador\u2019s response came after Flemish newspapers De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad reported that Belgium\u2019s Buildings Agency had opened an investigation<\/a> into possible damage to the museum.<\/p>\n

The Building Authority confirmed that \u201cfireworks debris was found on the roof, and certain limited areas of the roof appear blackened\u201d in a statement to Blue Light News, adding that \u201canalyses are still ongoing\u201d before being able to comment on the scope of any repair work.<\/p>\n

Belgian Buildings Minister Vanessa Matz has urged<\/a> caution, saying investigators must first determine whether any damage was caused by the fireworks display or by the severe thunderstorm that swept across Brussels the previous night.The celebration reportedly cost around \u20ac5 million<\/a>, with White raising the money from roughly 220 Belgian and American companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"