Politics & Government

Closures Ahead of President Obama's Riverside County Visit

 Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage will close to the public Monday in preparation for President Barack Obama's Friday summit with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

The estate, built in the mid-1960s by the Annenbergs, has hosted presidents, foreign heads of state, Supreme Court justices and celebrities. Last June, Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for two days at the former Annenberg estate.

Tours will resume Feb. 18 for people who bought tickets offered during Modernism Week, and Sunnylands is working with Modernism Week to refund tickets purchased for tours scheduled during Obama's visit. Sunnylands Center & Gardens will reopen Feb. 20.

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"We are profoundly honored that President Obama has chosen Sunnylands as the venue for this important meeting," said Geoffrey Cowan, president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

"Walter and Leonore Annenberg were outstanding philanthropists and diplomats who hoped that their estate would become the 'Camp David of the West' where the president could meet with world leaders to promote global peace and facilitate international agreements," he said. "The upcoming meeting between President Obama and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan ... continues to fulfill that vision, which is carried on by their children and grandchildren who serve as our trustees."

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Obama and Abdullah, one of Washington's closest friends in the Arab World, will discuss "opportunities to strengthen the U.S.-Jordan strategic partnership and how to advance our political, economic and security cooperation," according to the White House. They will also discuss Syria and efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.

– City News Service.


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