Berlin won't back Iraq war in UN Council - German defence minister

Yahoo News ^ | January 16 2003 | Reuters

[knighthawk]

BERLIN, Jan 16 (Reuters) - German Defence Minister Peter Struck said on Thursday he could not imagine Germany voting in favour of a war against Iraq at the United Nations Security Council, where it currently holds a seat.

"A final decision can only be taken when it is clear what the vote concerns, but a yes is no longer conceivable," Struck told a German newspaper.

His statement, the clearest clue so far by a German cabinet minister to how Germany would act in any new U.N. vote, was confirmed by a defence ministry spokesman.

Germany began a two-year term on the 15-seat Security Council on January 1 along with four other new members and will chair the council in February.

It could abstain if the Security Council called a vote on the use of force against Iraq, and even if it voted against an attack, it does not have the power of veto. Only the Big Five permanent council members can veto a resolution.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder angered Washington last year when he made opposition to any military action against Iraq a central plank of his campaign for re-election.

He has since toned down his rhetoric, repeating his firm anti-war stance but leaving open how Berlin might vote in any Security Council debate on Iraq.

Foreign Minister Joshka Fischer had suggested in recent days that Security Council resolution 1441, agreed last year to put pressure on Baghdad to readmit weapons inspectors, might be enough to justify a military strike.

Schroeder said on Tuesday he was in favour of a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq, contradicting suggestions by German diplomats that a new vote would not be needed.

He said Germany would try to reach a common position with its close partner France, which does have a veto, in any Security Council vote, but left open how Berlin would vote.

Fischer's Greens, junior coalition partners to Schroeder's Social Democrats, unanimously adopted a resolution on Monday opposing a war against Iraq or any new U.N. resolution.

[knighthawk]

Europe-list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[facedown]

Schroeder said on Tuesday he was in favour of a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq, contradicting suggestions by German diplomats that a new vote would not be needed.

The diplomats are right.

[Happy2BMe]

Another "We Hate America - Gram" from Schroeder via one of his pro-Nazi queens.

Too bad so many American companies were included in the documents Saddam released on the list of WMD materials supplier list.

Germany was first, followed by France (as the largest WMD material suppliers to Iraq).

Germany is more and more becoming a safe-haven and staging ground for Islamic terrorists.

Mark my words - it WILL come back to haunt them....

[ken5050]

Well, as the US forces and equipment leave Germany for the Gulf.....you can bet they won't be returning...heck, maybe the runways at Ramstein can be leased to the BMW club..

[Happy2BMe]

"The diplomats are right."

If Colin Powell has done anything right, he steered Bush in the right direction in closing the doors on anymore U.N. blackmail tricks demanding another U.N. resolution before we could take out Saddam.

One up for Colin.

[My2Cents]

Good point. As far as I'm concerned, we should ignore the Euroweenies. These guys are simply covering their own butts for doing business with the Butcher of Baghdad all these years. They would hate to lose a faithful customer. Frankly, isn't it in the greater interest of this country to pull out of Europe (including Bosnia, Kosovo) and let the Europeans take care of Europe? If they don't see the danger of doing nothing against Iraq, fine -- we'll do it ourselves.

[onedoug]

Ef 'em.

[Jim Noble]

>>German Defence Minister Peter Struck said on Thursday he could not imagine Germany voting in favour of a war against Iraq at the United Nations Security Council, where it currently holds a seat<<

I can't imagine it either, since there is not going to be another vote.

[Happy2BMe]

"Well, as the US forces and equipment leave Germany for the Gulf.....you can bet they won't be returning...heck, maybe the runways at Ramstein can be leased to the BMW club.."

Glad you broght that up!

We won't pull out of Germany until they throw us out.

It's too strategic for airlift.

Used heavily in any campaigns in the middle east, europe, or china.

But give it another two or three years.. and they could actually demand we leave.

The WWII armistice agreements between the U.S. and Germany are not worth the dust you could blow off of them.

[caltrop]

I certainly hope you're right that our ground forces, once deployed to the Gulf, won't return to Germany. I'm not sure the Air Force should leave quite so quickly but there is no doubt in my mind that the Army should be brought home from Germany.

[Happy2BMe]

"Frankly, isn't it in the greater interest of this country to pull out of Europe (including Bosnia, Kosovo) and let the Europeans take care of Europe? If they don't see the danger of doing nothing against Iraq, fine -- we'll do it ourselves."

I would strongly agree it is time to pull out of South Korea - the benefits of us staying there no longer outweigh the risks.

But with the hot spots like China, Tiawan, Israel, Syria, South America, etc. warming up and the world stage slowly building up towards what could be another world war, we still need those strategic footholds as long as possible.

It would take great human and monetary suffering on our part to ever get them back.

[ken5050]

As the strategic focus is more on SW Asia..we'd be better served by building a new base in one of the former SSR's..several are quite friendly to us.....we could secure a good deal, and whatever basing requirements we need in Europe could be handled in, say Poland, or one of the Baltic states...they'd love to have us.....

[longjack]

Happy2bMe:

98 German firms according to a report I saw a week or so ago.

Try this link:

Post From a Week or So Ago

longjack

[caltrop]

We've already got an Air Force base at Taszar, Hungary. I believe we'll be training Iraqi volunteers there in the next few weeks.

[Dog]

We can move everything to the Czech Republic or Poland screw the Germans..

[My2Cents]

Hap, I tend to agree with you. I've been wondering about our presence in South Korea. The current government seems to resent us being there. But the problem is that if we leave, we'll probably have to mobilize within a few years to repell a mad invasion from the North -- thousands of US troops dying to retake land we'd been protecting for 50 years. I suppose the same is true of Europe. Although when I consider that our role in Europe since the fall of the Soviet empire has been to protect Muslims, and considering few Muslims have said anything to support us, I figure why bother.

[ken5050]

NK is a special case...first, if the ROKs don't want us, we should announce plans to pull out..over two years..give them time to redeploy their forces if they choose.....real danger is the 37K US troops who are nuclear hostages.....the guy in NK isn't sane.....

[ffusco]

Germany : the new France

[Happy2BMe]

Dog... your wishes are about to come true!

"We can move everything to the Czech Republic or Poland screw the Germans.."

(Bear in mind the events below occurred before Schroeder was elected.)

Nov 21, 2002

STARA BOLESLAV, Czech Republic (USAFENS) -- Gen. Jioi Sedivý, Czech Republic General of the Army (second from left), and Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, review the elite troops of the Czech military. Senior NATO officials met at the National Command Center here, in conjunction with this week’s 2002 NATO Summit.

At the request of the Czech Republic, the U.S. is providing military aircraft to assist in air defense over Prague during the 2002 NATO Summit.

The U.S. is part of a larger NATO effort to provide security for the 2002 NATO Summit, an example of the interoperability and security cooperation that exists between NATO allies. (Photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed)

STARA BOLESLAV, Czech Republic (USAFENS) -- Upon arrival here, Gen. Frantisek Padilek, Czech Air Force commander (left), welcomes Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Czech Minister of Defense Jaroslav Tvrdík. During the visit, Rumsfeld and other NATO leaders received briefings and viewed the National Command Center being used by NATO to monitor the airspace over Prague.

At the request of the Czech Republic, the U.S. is providing military aircraft to assist in air defense over Prague during the 2002 NATO Summit.

The U.S. is part of a larger NATO effort to provide security for the 2002 NATO Summit, an example of the interoperability and security cooperation that exists between NATO allies. (Photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed)

STARA BOLESLAV, Czech Republic (USAFENS) -- Gen. Jioi Sedivý, Czech Republic General of the Army (left), and Gen. Frantisek Padilek, Czech Air Force commander, proceed with Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to receive briefings and to view the National Command Center being used by NATO to monitor the airspace over Prague this week.

At the request of the Czech Republic, the U.S. is providing military aircraft to assist in air defense over Prague during the 2002 NATO Summit.

The U.S. is part of a larger NATO effort to provide security for the 2002 NATO Summit, an example of the interoperability and security cooperation that exists between NATO allies.

(Photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed)

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BTW: Those Czechs make a damned good 9mm military pistol!