Posted on 03/09/2003 9:29:35 AM PST by kattracks
March 9— BERLIN (Reuters) - A German junior minister said on Sunday the United States was behaving like a dictator over the Iraq crisis, a statement likely to put relations between Washington and Berlin under further strain.
"The Americans look more and more like dictators with their unilateral decisions," Walter Kolbow, junior minister in the Defense Ministry, was quoted as saying in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
Kolbow confirmed to Reuters he had made the remarks and said they referred to the U.S. stance on Iraq and environmental issues.
Transatlantic tensions remain high over Germany and other European nations' opposition to a U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Kolbow said his comments were a criticism of the phrase used by U.S. leaders: "Anyone who is not with us, is against us."
Kolbow said he was addressing a meeting of Social Democrats at a traditional Ash Wednesday political rally in the Bavarian town of Mainbernheim. The rallies tend to be spirited affairs.
"You tend to express yourself a bit more strongly at the Ash Wednesday rally in Bavaria than you do at a gathering of diplomats," Kolbow said.
Kolbow also said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was a dangerous dictator who oppressed his people. "He's the best monitored dictator that I know of," Kolbow was quoted telling the rally.
Last year, relations between Washington and Berlin were soured after Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin reportedly compared Bush's political tactics with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder did not reappoint Daeubler-Gmelin to his new cabinet after winning an election in September although some commentators said his decision not to fire her immediately was viewed in a poor light by Washington.
German conservative opposition leaders called on Kolbow to resign.
Kolbow denied a version of his speech reprinted in a Bavarian newspaper, the Kitzinger, where he was quoted calling President Bush a dictator, rather than the administration.
Okay, he saud he didn't mean to call the President a dictator, just the administration. All righty then...
Are they all so fond of (ahem) weasel-words? Herta Daeubler-Gmelin tried to same dance last fall: "I didn't compare Bush to Hitler; I only compared him to 'Adolf Nazi', and everyone knows the difference..."
I will hate these people until the day I die. They'd better be damned glad they only have a nice guy like Bush to deal with, and not the hellinahandcart administration!
This writer obviously didn't read the memos. Politicians who behave admirably are never "conservatives".
There is an idiot born every nano-second.
Yep. Ties to Rote Arme, Bader/Meinhof, and with a violent past that should have landed him in prison for many years.
SPD undersecretary Kolbow calls Bush, "dictator"
Kolbow to Bush: That's not a partner, but a dictator."
Berlin - CSU Bundestag Representative Dorothee Mantel demanded in a parliamentary enquiry to the Federal Government information about remarks critical of America by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Walter Kolbow (SPD).
According to a report in the "Kitzinger Zeitung" on the Friday, Kolbow identified US President Bush as a dictator. In Mainbernheim near Würzburg he said literally: "Bush places himself economically and politically absolutely one-sided without considering anyone else. This is not a partner, but a dictator."
The undersecretary qualified this vis-à-vis WELT am SONNTAG: "I had given a forceful political speech and welcomed the presence of American soldiers on Political Ash Wednesday." Because of the decisions taken by the USA he had said, "that the Americans show themselves more and more the dictator of one-sided decisions".
Kolbow referred to a report of "Main-Post" which had reported about his speech: "The Americans showed themselves more and more as the dictator 'of the one-sided decisions'." However, the author of this report, Torsten Schleicher, adds that he is "sure that by 'Americans' Kolbow had meant the U.S. Administration". Furthermore, Kolbow said about U.S. Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, he sat "across from him, it wasn't enjoyable". Rumsfeld should "First of all, learn diplomatic manners". rgr
Artikel erschienen am 9. Mär 2003
SPD-Staatssekretär Kolbow nennt Bush "Diktator"
Translated by longjack
I tried to keep the word order in he quotes as close to literal German as I could.
Also when talking about Rumsfeld. the translation could be, It wasn't amusing.. or enjoyable.. or..pleasurable." And, it could be "first of all he should learn diplomatic manners..decorum..propriety..decency". It's hard to determine which one he actually said.
longjack
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.