Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- City officials in Washington say they have been handing out plates from a donated set to foreign dignitaries to save money on commemorative souvenirs. The plates have the district seal on them and are part of a set of around 500 plates that were a gift from a Turkish citizen to Mayor Anthony Williams during his second term from 2002-2007. Advertisement "They had not been used for years and would save money if put to good use," mayoral spokeswoman Doxie McCoy said. The Washington Post said Saturday the re-gifting could actually cover some of the several thousand dollars the city spends on official gifts to high-level visitors at a time when budgets are tight. The appropriateness apparently passes manners muster because the plates have the city seal on them, according to Robert Frye, former protocol officer for AT&T and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. "You want the gift to reflect something special about the city or the state," Frye told the Post. "Now, I wouldn't hand it over and say, 'We got these as a gift.' I wouldn't advertise that."
