Posted on 09/10/2007 12:15:19 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246
German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has urged EU powers to stop backing Poland on trade and to counter US missile shield plans, or risk another unfriendly summit with Russia next month.
Speaking to press at a book-launch in Moscow on Saturday (8 September), he described Poland's outstanding veto on a new EU-Russia treaty as "narrow-minded nationalism" and called the US missile scheme "politically dangerous."
"For the good of Europe it's sometimes necessary to forget about the interests of individual [member] states," he said. Poland imposed the veto in late 2006 in reaction to a Russian ban on Polish meat exports.
"It is Germany's responsibility...to persuade the United States to abandon these plans," he added, on Washington's push to build two rocket and radar bases in Poland and the Czech republic by 2012.
Russian first deputy prime minister Dmitry Medvedev - also attending the book-launch - echoed the statement, saying it addresses "real worries" that Germany is no longer a "bridge" in east-west relations.
Mr Schroeder led Germany from 1998 to 2005, becoming a personal friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin and later taking a job in the Kremlin's giant energy corporation, Gazprom.
At the last EU-Russia summit in May, current German chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Commission voiced solidarity with Poland and criticised Russia on human rights.
The next summit, to be held in Mafra, Portugal on 26 October, comes amid other complications such as Moscow's opposition to Kosovo independence, the Litvinenko spy row and aggressive posturing by the Russian air force.
EU top diplomat Javier Solana at a European foreign ministers' gathering in Portugal this weekend linked the tensions to the upcoming Russian parliamentary and presidential elections.
"We are in an electoral period in Russia so we don't expect that the next summit will be a revolutionary summit," he said, AFP reports.
But Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt hinted at deeper problems, saying "Everybody agrees that at the moment we don't have a strategic relationship with Russia."
A German chancellor wanting to appease Russia at Poland’s expense? Sounds familiar for some reason.
Just representing his client.
Exactly, back to the future for Russia and Germany. Neither country has given up their old visions of empire.
The Germans want to take over Europe through their industrial and financial might.
The Russians are less subtle. They want to “gather the Russian lands” by overt military hostility toward any small state unfortunate enough to share a border with them.
You have to love the Poles. They have been the standard bearers of Western Civilization and humanity for centuries.
Gerhardt, who?
EU should do themselves a favor and boycott the next meeting. Tell Putin where to shove those Bears.
Given that Schroeder works for Gazprom IIRC, this is not surprising.
Schroeder is now a paid employee or consultant with Gazprom - Russia’s (Putin’s) nationalized energy conglomerate. Maybe Putin threatened to take Schroeder’s cushy job away from him if he didn’t participate in Putin’s public relations offensive.
The German people should be ashamed of their former leader and, due to the source of their shame - his kowtowing to Putin - see his objections to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in a different light (that opposition was intended to serve Russian economic interests, of which Germany was to receive better energy deals from Gazprom). Schroeder lost his political job but got onto Putin’s payroll anyway. And who is surprised????
Who in Germany is asking the hard questions of why Schroeder immediately jumped into a senior executive position at the Russian (state owned) Gazprom. Could it have something to do him personally overseeing and pushing gas deals through and bypassing the entire political process altogether while he was still in office? Could it have something to do with this “multilateral” approach by pushing through these deals in a vacuum of what Poland the Czech Republic and others might want, despite the fact that they are affected by these decisions?
The Germans are embarrassing. This guy should literally be hung for treason (Landesverrat). Instead he’s dispensing advice, signing books, and living in his dacha (paid for by the Russian state) with the Germans just thinking this is normal.
IIRC, Schroeder works for Russian oil and gas interests.
It’s always rich to hear Euro-statists, particularly Germans, rave on about “narrow-minded nationalism”. Schroeder’s blatant shilling for the Putin kleptocracy is farce.
Sounds more like whoring with his clothes on — you know, the despicable, disreputable kind of whoring.
Well, the Germans voted him out of office, and he went to work as a mouthpiece for Putin, so it’s not too surprising he’s shilling for Russia now. As for the Germans being embarrassing, we have Carter and Clinton to embarrass us.
Marketing at its best...GAsprom, apply directly to the forhead, Gasprom, apply directly to the forehead, Gasprom, apply directly to the forehead...Gasprom, I hate your product, but I hate your commercials...
Carter might go to Venezuela and Clinton to the Middle East to give speeches, but their statements are measured, and the fact that this outrages the American public is a statement. Where are the screams within Germany denouncing Schroeder as within the US in regards to Clinton and Carter? Clinton visiting the Middle East and skirting the topic of Iraq saying it more or less was a bad idea, created a landslide of negative public press.
There is a difference. The Germans especially have no national identity and they largely sympathize with the views of a Schroeder anyway. Furthermore, they’re spineless and even if they know the truth lack the balls and resolve to take action for the most part. If Schroeder personally abused his powers to ensure Gazprom be rewarded with certain deals for his personal gain, that’s an abuse of his powers, but no one is really raising the question and pushing the issue. They don’t want to. Who in German politics right now is accusing him of treason? Who is really pushing for an investigation of this affair? It’s very typical of the Germans.
“Well, the Germans voted him out of office” BARELY.
Sounds a lot like Peter the Great's secret payments to the Saxon kings of Poland, with the EU playing the role of the old Polish republic.
“For the good of Europe it’s sometimes necessary to forget about the interests of individual [member] states,” he said.
For the good of Europe it’s sometimes necessary to forget about the interests of some individuals.
You can forget seeing any rational thought after that intro. Dude is an anti-freedom liar and cheat. During his first reelection there were worries about the budget and he said everything's fine and no taxes will need to be raised -- then suddenly hundreds of millions of dollars of deficit were discovered right after the election. Honest, we didn't know, we just found out.
So everybody complained and a very popular song called the Tax Song came out making fun of him, portraying him as greedy, wanting everybody's money while living high off the hog himself. Then he talked about suing the guy who wrote the song.
Part of the song went like "You can't fire me, that's what's cool about democracy." Guess what Schrott, the German people did fire your ass, now shut up and disappear.
I actually read that new Schroeders employer (from Gazprom outsourcing company) is Matt V.(something, forgot his name, got to search for it once again, it was in one of these years Wprost aricles) is an ex-Stasi officer.
Well now, commie minds think alike?
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