German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
Posted on 06/04/2005 6:10:27 AM PDT by StoneGiant
Bad News for Putin and Chirac: German right vows improved U.S. relations
To France: 'Don't make us choose between you and the United States, because we probably won't choose you'
By Nicholas Kralev and Tom Goeller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
June 4, 2005
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
BERLIN -- The conservative Christian Democrats and their Free Democratic partners will restore Germany's alliance with the United States and downgrade Berlin's ties with Russia if they win elections in September, leaders from both parties say.
In a series of interviews, they also said that they would review their alliance with France, which they intend to keep strong, but warn Paris not to challenge Berlin to choose between the United States and France, as was the case with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Wolfgang Schaeuble, deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentary group who is in charge of foreign policy, accused Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a Social Democrat, of undermining trans-Atlantic ties.
"We have great interest in close relations with Russia, but they have to be balanced and should in no way be directed against the Atlantic partnership," said Mr. Schaeuble, who was interior minister under CDU Chancellor Helmut Kohl and helped negotiate Germany's 1990 reunification.
Germany's neighbor Poland should not be left out of German-Russian developments, and Berlin should be more critical of "the state of democracy in Russia," Mr. Schaeuble said.
"All this was not respected by Schroeder, and the closeness with Russia went far too far," he said. "We would change this nonsense and re-establish the balance in German-Russian relations."
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
In related news, in a hedge against the German right coming to power, France has decided to unilaterally surrender.
Mike, France does have to honor its traditions!
Hmmm. Reminds me of Vigo of Ghostbusters II...
yeah they do....
ping
There should be a kind of global, political, children's table. Let the Left sit together and enjoy their socio-politic-psycho-babble out of sight and out of mind. Let the adults gather and reason together.
It would be great if all of Europe ostracised France.
Redrover..they kind of do..look at the red/blue maps...all the big cities are liberal...and broke...
then take California....
Hey! The French voted against the EuroSocialists. Give em credit!
No, they still are funded by the rest of us. I mean that they would be completely on their own.
Wouldn't it be ironic if Shroeder - who was propelled to victory in 2002 on a tide of anti-Americanism - was swept from power in 2005 on a tide of pro-Americanism? Then wouldn't Blaque Jacques start to feel isolated?
Actually, the German right might be overplaying their hands here. The German electorate is ready for a change in economic management, but I don't think as a whole they have changed their view of the US. By stating what's in this article, the right may be giving Schroeder a gift upon which to campaign - "Never mind the 5 million unemployed, they want to be friends with the US again - mein herren und frauen, we can't let that happen!"
The devils Ambassador Chirc wanted so much to be their leader of the free world of the United States of Europe, how sad for him
The Red and Blue portions of the French flag were just changed to WHITE!
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