Australian PM attends 9/11 ceremony in Canberra

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday joined the U.S. ambassador to Australia at a public 9/11 anniversary ceremony in Canberra. The twilight ceremony on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin featured a flag party from the Australian Federal Police and the U. S. Marine Corps. Hundreds of Australians attended the event in Canberra. They lit candles to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks, and observed a minute's silence. U.S. ambassador Jeffrey Bleich thanked Australia for its friendship and support to the U.S. over the past decade. Earlier Sunday, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd marked the anniversary of the terrorist attacks with a ceremony at the War Memorial in Canberra. He was joined there by French foreign minister Alan Juppe. Together they laid wreaths commemorating the victims of the attacks, while also remembering both the Australian and French soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.