Germany joins other nations in hailing Iraq vote

expatica.com ^ | 31 Jan 2005 | expatica.com

[Cornpone]

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Monday hailed Iraq's elections as a crucial step toward democracy and made an indirect appeal to the country's Sunni minority not to boycott the future Iraqi government.

"Iraqis deserve great recognition for proving their will to chart their nation's course with peaceful and democratic means despite massive attempts to intimidate them," said Fischer in a statement.

He added: "Carrying out the elections in Iraq means a step toward democratisation of the country."

Fischer said the key task now was to prepare a new constitution for Iraq and he made an indirect appeal to Iraq's Sunni

minority, many of whom did not take part in the election.

"Neither force nor refusal to join talks are the way out of the crisis," said Fischer, adding, "At the same time no group can be left out of forging the future for all Iraqis."

The minister said Iraq's new constitution had to involve all political and ethnic groups in the country.

Germany opposed the US-led Iraq war and Fischer did not offer any new support from Berlin to Baghdad following the election.

The German government has refused to send troops to Iraq but is training Iraqi police officers in the United Arab Emirates. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder last year played a major role in helping to write off much of Iraq's foreign debt with the Paris Club of creditor nations.

Ninety-five percent of Iraqi voters registered in Germany voted Sunday at polling stations in four cities, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

Voters have turned out in force at stations in Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Mannheim over the past three days.

Over 26,000 Iraqis are registered to vote in Germany, about 47 percent of the country's population of expatriate Iraqis. Counting of votes begins Monday.

[Cornpone]

Coming from anybody else I'd say this is good news.

[CT CONSERVATIVE]

Success has many fathers....

[Kozak]

Well, if any nation can be used as a model of Democracy growing from the barrel of a gun, Germany is the poster child.

[demkicker]

Well, if any nation can be used as a model of Democracy growing from the barrel of a gun, Germany is the poster child.

Well said! And that is why their lack of support has been so inexplicable.

[Cornpone]

I have no issue with the German people. Its their current political leadership that makes me sick and Joschka Fischer throws me into absolute convulsions. I keep waiting to hear when he and Dominique DeVillepin are going to come out of the closet and admit they've both swapped diseases.

[jwpjr]

re: their lack of support has been so inexplicable

I have come to the conclusion that one generation simply cannot learn from the experiences of the previous generation, just a children have always been driven to make the same mistakes their parents made as kids. Look at the spending patterns of those who were young adults and on their own during the depression. Their children (like my Mom) experienced it, but not as the person responsible for providing for the family. The adults had their understanding of everyday life changed forever. My Mom did not live the same way. She had some understanding of the problems faced by her parents, but did not live the rest of her life as though the depression was just a paycheck away. Consider the kids of baby boomers. They decided all sorts of social rules were not really necessary. They rebelled against things as simple as dress codes for elementary school children to as complicated as the stigma of unwed birth. Todays' Germans have never lived under the repression or experienced the horror of war and really don't appreciate the freedoms they enjoy. I think once the Iraqis get a taste of self governing they will become devout supporters of the concept.

[alloysteel]

Germany, among others, should be ashamed of the hard line that they had taken against the liberation of Iraq.

But spparently shame does not work that way.

Now the only chance Germany and others shall have to recoup all the losses they suffered with the fall of Saddam is to embrace the new order that has gained ascendency in Iraq.

[bill1952]

Well, if any nation can be used as a model of Democracy growing from the barrel of a gun...

Correct but...

Well, if any nation can be used as a model of a free society sliding right into a Socialist morass, Germany is the poster child.

I swear that most of the EU looks more like the old USSR in both economics and politics.

In fact, I propose a new name to properly identify them on the World stage:

"The United European Socialist Republics." - UESR

[bill1952]

Well said.

[Cornpone]

IMHO Germany and France are two peoples that have been victimized by their leaders. Of the two, Chirac is the more sinister. Schroeder was simply a desperate politician willing to say and do anything to get reelected at a critical moment. That's not too unusual. However, Chirac is just sick. He had no such election concerns at the time. He simply compromised the integrity of his nation to feed his ego. He is dangerous.

[skullocrushah]

Iraq will not forget who her true friends are

[MHalblaub]

One election doesn't make out of a country a real democracy. But it is the first step.

There was a democratic system in Germany before the WW2. Hitler's first step to power was through an election.

If you think that worked with Germany then the US have to stay a little bit longer than just 18 months more in Iraq.

[demkicker]

I understand what you are saying. But since there are so many in Germany that are still living who went through WWII, and even more who have benefitted from the demise of the Berlin Wall, it puzzels me that they have been so easily brain washed to forget the past of not so long ago.

[SeaBiscuit]

Definitely some good news there, its a pleasure to see that there are those who have a grasp on what is unfolding in Iraq. Too bad some of our own politicians and media (we all know who they are) don't have that same grasp.

As far as the stuff with the Sunnis, it's up to them to take the high road and decide to work within the new democratic government of Iraq. Or they can choose the low road and become the Democratic party of Iraq.

/semi-sarc

[elhombrelibre]

This is typical cant from a sanctimonious German government twit. The Germans don't want to be in the game. They take no risks, but they're still there to tell others how to behave and what to do as if they had any credibility. No sacrifice. No risks. Nothing but pontifications. In effect, they were with Saddam as a sin of omission. Now they've the chutzpah to lecture the Iraqis on how to treat the Sunnis. The Shia appear able to get by without the moral hectoring of German government officials.

[demkicker]

Well said.

[paul51]

Germany joins other nations in hailing Iraq vote

Yeah, couldn't have done it without you (/sarc)

[Billthedrill]

I'm glad Fischer is happy with this, because it happened against his best effort and the Iraqis owe him and his government not one bit of thanks for it.