Schroder Meeting With Powell Fails To Heal Iraq Rift

The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, failed to repair the "poisoned" relationship between Berlin and Washington when he met the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, yesterday during the first visit to Germany by a top US government official since the fallout between the two countries over the Iraq war.

George Bush has not spoken to Mr Schröder since Germany's decision to oppose armed intervention in Iraq. The row was exacerbated by Germany's former justice minister, who compared the US President to Adolf Hitler.

In Washington on Thursday, in what appeared to be timed as a clear snub to Mr Schröder, President Bush met Roland Koch, the right wing prime minister of the German state of Hesse, who is widely viewed as the next conservative German chancellor.

Mr Koch, who has made no secret of his opposition to the Schröder government's policy on Iraq, was in the US for talks with the Vice President Dick Cheney. Their meeting in the White House was interrupted by Mr Bush who, apparently unannounced, joined them for 15 minutes. German officials described the encounter as "surprising".

In Berlin, Mr Schröder saw General Powell for 36 minutes, but he was unable to obtain a firm date for a reconciliatory meeting with Mr Bush. In an interview on German television, General Powell admitted the atmosphere between the two countries was still seriously strained. "We will need time and work to put that behind us," he said.

The best that General Powell could offer Mr Schröder was to suggest an opportunity to meet the American President during the G8 summit next month in the French town of Evian les Bains.

Both sides nevertheless attempted to put a brave face on the continuing German-American rift, and described their meeting as "friendly and open" in a joint statement.

"I think America has understood that friends can sometimes hold different opinions," said Mr Schröder.

General Powell, who has been portrayed in the German media as too "doveish" to represent current thinking in Washington, said he had not only discussed the row over the Iraq war with Chancellor Schröder but also what "binds our two countries together". He added: "Germany and the United States have been friends and allies for many years."

In an effort to show that Berlin was now prepared to cooperate with Washington, Mr Schröder said Germany would make every attempt to support US plans to lift sanctions on Iraq. "The sanctions no longer make sense and should be lifted as soon as possible. It is important to reach a compromise at the UN," he said.

However, he left open whether Germany would support the American draft proposals on UN sanctions announced on Thursday, which envisage greater, albeit limited, UN involvement in post-war Iraq. Joschka Fischer, the German Foreign Minister, also refused to be drawn on the issue after meeting briefly with General Powell.

Germany has strongly opposed what it sees as America and Britain's "go-it-alone" policy in Iraq, and has argued for a UN-coordinated effort to rebuild the country.

Angelika Beer, the leader of Mr Schröder's Green party coalition partners, dismissed the American draft UN resolution as untenable.

"It would reduce the UN's role to that of a help force," she said yesterday. "The German government is not prepared to legitimise the preventative strike against Iraq retrospectively through this resolution."

• Between 15,000 and 30,000 Ba'ath party officials will be banned from participating in a future Iraqi government. A senior official with the US reconstruction team said this would eliminate Saddam's party and "put a stake in its heart".

Shroder and Joska won't be forgetten.

From what I glossed over on the German sites, Bush's walking in on a meeting with Hessian Roland Koch (CDU) was a big Schroeder put down, and Schroeder knew it.

REUTERS

Powell und Fischer: "Joschka und ich"

"Spiegel" says Powell told Angela Merkel (CDU) that there wasn't a small gap between US/Germany, but a big gap and it was still there. Merkel was given as much time as Schroeder.

The Germans are making a point that Powell kissed up to Joschka Fischer, though. They think Fischer was treated the best of all. "Spiegel" used the Powell quote "Joschka and I" in one of the picture titles.

"Spiegel"..Merkels Hoch, Schröders Tief


Bemüht, die deutsch-amerikanischen Beziehungen zu verbessern: US-Außenminister Powell und Bundeskanzler Schröder Foto: dpa

"Die Welt" talks of a frosty meeting with Powell and Schroeder, in which Powell talks of not being surprised that Germany took a different position, rather being surprised that Germany did all it could to work against the USA.

"Die Welt" briefly mentions the Roland Koch meeting, didn't mention Merkel and said the Powell-Fischer meeting was "relaxed" (in contrast to the Schroeder meeting).

"Die Welt"..Frostige Begegnung in Berlin

longjack

Proud to Be German? New Generations Shout 'Jawohl' Thu May 15, 2003 09:54 AM ET

By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Sixty years after World War II and at a point when most of the war generation has either died or retired, Germans are finally shedding some of the guilt that weighed on those born after 1945.

Many admit to a certain pride that their long-criticized country is getting worldwide attention for its pacifism.

A favorite joke making the rounds on the Internet before the U.S.-led war on Iraq delighted many Germans.

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy (Eminem), the best golfer is a black (Tiger Woods), the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France accuses the United States of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war."

The German government began opposing U.S. sabre-rattling against Iraq a year ago and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder used his hostility to war to win re-election in September.

The stance triggered an outpouring of support for the government, with 90 percent public backing.

"For the first time in my life I can say I'm proud to be a German," said Bernd Stange, the 54-year-old coach of the Iraqi soccer team who, like many, applauded Schroeder's moves against the United States, a long-time ally. Stange fled Iraq just before the war and hopes to return soon.

PROUD TO BE GERMAN!

In a letter to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that reflected the changing sentiment, Andreas Odenwald said he needed to adjust to a new experience: national pride.

"There was long an odd debate here as to whether to allow anyone to be proud of Germany," he wrote. "I can say I now feel proud, for the first time in my life, to be German and privileged to live in a country where the overwhelming majority of the public and its government rejects a war in Iraq."

Any sense of patriotism in Germany had been stripped from the national consciousness after the atrocities under Adolf Hitler. In school lessons, post-war Germans had the horrors of the Nazi past drilled into them.

Many born decades after 1945 are still confronted with mock "Sieg Heil" salutes when abroad as well as being called "Nazi" merely because of their German passports. They learned tacitly to accept without question their share of the collective guilt even if they were born after World War II.

The phrase "I'm proud to be German" was frowned on and could spark heated debate. Conservative politicians who just two years ago said they were proud Germans were associated with far-right extremists. Even President Johannes Rau said he had trouble with the notion of national pride.

"One can only be proud of something one has achieved," Rau said at the height of a debate two years ago, adding that people could be "glad" or "thankful" to be Germans but not proud.

Schroeder cautiously joined in the debate, choosing his words carefully to avoid being branded a right-wing extremist.

"I am proud of the achievements of the people and the democratic culture," he said. "In this sense, I am a German patriot who is proud of his country."

Although Germans were allowed to express a certain amount of admiration for their currency, the deutschmark, their "economic miracle" and national soccer team that won three World Cups, any further displays of patriotism were discouraged.

Yet the tide was beginning to change last summer when Germany's football team unexpectedly came second at the World Cup -- and was greeted by tens of thousands of flag-waving fans on their return home. "Germany's peace stance has helped relieve some of our sense of guilt from World War II," said Yvonne Eckert, 33, a computer programmer from Magdeburg.

LEFT-WING INTELLECTUALS GLAD THEY'RE GERMAN NOW

Even left-wing intellectuals who long had nothing but disdain for those who spoke of a "German identity" are singing the praises of their country's confidence to move from the role of close U.S. ally it had nurtured for the last half century.

"A few years ago it was deemed right-wing and reactionary to show pride in Germany or talk about an independent 'German role' in the world," said Klaus Schroeder, political science professor at Berlin's Free University -- no relation to the chancellor.

Jeff Gedmin, head of the U.S.-based Aspen Institute think tank in Berlin, said he was surprised recently by an elderly woman who approached him after a speech in Leipzig and told him she was proud to be German for the first time in her life. "I asked her why and she said 'Because we're standing up to America,"' Gedmin said. "Germans have been deprived of patriotism for decades. Now they're getting displaced patriotism defining themselves in their defiance of the United States."

(Additional reporting by Dave Graham in Berlin and Mair Salts in London)

Ready to talk: Colin Powell and his "good riend" Joschka Fischer

"FAZ" reports Powell saying that nothing is forgiven or forgotten, and that the USA is surprised, not that the Germans disagreed with the US, rather that Germany worked so hard in opposition the U.S.

Further, "FAZ" opines that the 'core problem' has not been Solved. Powell mentions how he is interested in the unification and expansion of Europe, NATO and the EU and that consensus is cool, however, consensus isn't necessary and that the US would act (again) without the consensus of 'it's friends'; i.e., the Iraq situation could repeat itself. [... the idea that the U.S. would act without consensus with Germany is considered the 'core problem']

"FAZ" mentions that the Roland Koch meeting with Bush was given big play on German TV as Powell arrived. This is considered humiliating for Schroeder.

As the picture shows, "FAZ" also emphasizes the two buddies, Powell and Fischer.

"FAZ"..Nichts vergessen und vergeben (nothing has been forgotten or forgiven)

There are some reports I've read that emphasize Schroeder's remarks that everything is OK. Most reports paint the opposite picture, however.

The Powell / Fischer hugfest has been a common theme and one that bothers me.

I agree with you. elhombrelibre. Schroeder's tactic of 'It's a disagreement, get over it', is irritating.

longjack

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