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Germany: Berlin Silent on Report of U-Boat Sale to Egypt
Spiegelonline ^ | 9/3/2012 | cro

Posted on 09/03/2012 7:39:50 PM PDT by bruinbirdman

A report that Germany plans to sell two submarines to Egypt has triggered speculation about a deterioration in German relations with Israel. The German government stressed on Monday that it remained committed to Israel's security -- but officials declined to comment on the report.


Class 209 submarine

The German government on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to Israel after media reports said relations between the two countries had been damaged by an unconfirmed deal to supply Egypt with two German-made submarines.

A German government spokesman declined to comment on an article which appeared in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram last Friday and cited the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian navy, Osama al-Gindi, as saying: "We have agreed to a deal with Germany to procure two submarines of the latest 209 Class."

On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said only: "There has been no change in the German government's position towards Israel, in the commitment the German government feels towards Israel's security."

But he declined to comment on the supposed deal, saying the government maintained secrecy concerning matters dealt with by the Federal Security Council, a government committee that decides on sensitive weapons export deals.

Israeli newspaper Jediot Achronot reported on Sunday that ties between Israel and Germany had dramatically deteriorated because of the deal. The Israeli government declined to comment on Monday.

Class 209 submarines are built by the companies HDW and Nordseewerke. Germany has sold some 60 of those vessels to 12 nations.

Fears about Egypt Grow in Israel

Israel's relations with Egypt have deteriorated since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February 2011. The Egyptian revolution has stirred fears in Israel that Egypt may undermine the peace treaty the two nations signed in 1979. According to Jediot Achronot newspaper, Israel is worried that its

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: egypt; fourthreich; germanuboats; germany; germanyarmsegypt; israel; waronterror

1 posted on 09/03/2012 7:39:53 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
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To: bruinbirdman

Where they gonna park(hide)it?


2 posted on 09/03/2012 8:09:42 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: bruinbirdman

What are they buying it with? They have NO MONEY. Just our aid.


3 posted on 09/03/2012 8:11:25 PM PDT by Dogbert41 ("...The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God" Zech. 12:5)
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To: bruinbirdman

Do Germans really still call submarines ‘U-boats’, or is this just another case of journalistic malpractice?


4 posted on 09/03/2012 8:17:21 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: bruinbirdman
The Egyptian Navy already has several German warships in its inventory and they have been in the market for a couple of modern subs to replace their aging Romeo-class subs for some time. They had been looking at Russian Kilo's, but these subs would have to be extensively modified to fire the missiles and torpedoes the US has been providing Egypt for years. The German Type-209's would come already set up for such weapon systems.
5 posted on 09/03/2012 8:18:50 PM PDT by Stonewall Jackson ("I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.")
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To: Dogbert41

.... as Obama continues enabling his arab spring/mb/ north African caliphate and his proxies at America’s expense, actually at democracy’s expense.

Empowering an entity where democracy is antithetical to the core values in Sharia and the Koran is not presidential by any stretch of the imagination.

Whatever happens to Israel happens to western man.....


6 posted on 09/03/2012 8:28:24 PM PDT by himno hero (hadnuff)
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To: Dogbert41
"What are they buying it with?"

Maybe they're trading it for ancient Egyptian loot?

Berlin marks 100 years of discovering Nefertiti

"The bust (Nefertiti) is at the top of a "wish list" of five major artifacts exhibited abroad that Egypt wants returned . . ."

yitbos

7 posted on 09/03/2012 8:34:06 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: bruinbirdman

I recently completed my thesis, which was on worldwide naval proliferation.

Basically, the single most important thing I found is that one should never, EVER believe reports about Third World submarine purchases until the subs are actually built and delivered.

Countries like Thailand have supposedly bought submarines 5-6 times in the last 20 years; they still have none. Venezuela has been supposedly buying Russian KILO class submarines for the last 7 years.

You see a lot of panicky articles about some sort of out-of-control worldwide submarine proliferation; actually the total number of subs in the world isn’t rising, and the number of countries with submarines is actually going down. They’re just expensive.

The only countries in the world that actually have a growing sub fleet of any note are China, South Korea, and Vietnam.

The Egyptians desperately need to replace their Romeos (which, remarkably, have been modified to fire US Harpoon missiles) but I can’t conceive of them being able to afford new-build Type 209s; used Type 209s - possibly.


8 posted on 09/03/2012 8:35:02 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: Windflier
"Do Germans really still call submarines ‘U-boats’"

Of course not. Auf deutsch sind sie "U-Boote".

yitbos

9 posted on 09/03/2012 8:39:36 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: bruinbirdman

Will these boats actually sink?

If they sink, will they surface again?


10 posted on 09/03/2012 8:43:05 PM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: Strategerist
" the single most important thing I found is "

Propaganda is very powerful.

yitbos

12 posted on 09/03/2012 8:47:51 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand)
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To: Strategerist

Here’s a website FReepers might be interested in surfing.
http://stratrisks.com/


13 posted on 09/03/2012 9:07:33 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: bruinbirdman
Auf deutsch sind sie "U-Boote".

I don't speak'a ze Deutsch, but I think you just told me that they do.

14 posted on 09/03/2012 9:16:34 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier

Der nomenklatura U-Bost is der namen for zie Unterwassenboaten mitt der peepenscopen und der tuben shooten thingens.

See...Deutsche is easy!


15 posted on 09/03/2012 10:19:08 PM PDT by Tainan (Cogito, ergo conservatus sum)
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To: Tainan
Der nomenklatura U-Bost is der namen for zie Unterwassenboaten mitt der peepenscopen und der tuben shooten thingens.

See...Deutsche is easy!

Oh, my, word. That's the best damn laugh I've had all day. Thanks!

16 posted on 09/03/2012 10:23:14 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: Tainan

Hilarious! Just forwarded to our son-in-law who works on subs in Portsmouth, NH.


18 posted on 09/04/2012 8:10:03 AM PDT by b9
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To: bruinbirdman

We’re building Egyptian gunboats right here in the US.


19 posted on 09/04/2012 11:14:14 PM PDT by Lil Flower (American by birth. Southern by the Grace of God! ROLL TIDE!!)
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