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VIENNA: Austria celebrated the 60th birthday of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday although its relationship with one of its most famous sons has not always been rosy.
Austrian newspapers looked back on Schwarzenegger's many careers as a bodybuilder, actor, and governor and predicted that "the oak tree is still growing," in reference to Schwarzenegger's former nickname, Styrian Oak.
The daily "Osterreich" pictured "our governator" on its front page with the question: "Could he even become president of the United States?"
Newspapers pointed out that Schwarzenegger's life exemplified the American Dream but were keen to stress his Austrian origins.
His hometown Thal in southern Styria even organised a "party for Arnie" on Sunday, with a mass, the unveiling of a jubilee milestone and a typical Austrian meal with Apfelstrudel, baked according to his mother's recipe, papers reported.
The town also sent Schwarzenegger the original house address plate, marked "Thal 145," from his childhood home, Mayor Peter Urdl said.
Austria has always had an ambiguous relationship with Schwarzenegger, who left the country aged 17 and became a US citizen in 1983.
Last year, the Styrian city of Graz took Schwarzenegger's name off its stadium to protest his refusal to reverse the death sentence of a California inmate.
Green MP Eva Glawischnig praised the governor's environmental policies in an interview published Monday. But she described his stance on the death penalty as "barbaric." - AFP/fa
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