German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Thursday distanced Berlin from plans to create EU military headquarters separate from NATO. The proposal had created tension with Washington. In a move likely to be seen as an olive branch in the continuing smoothing of relations between Germany and the United States, the German government has softened its stance on the creation of a large and independent military planning headquarters for EU-led military operations. "I do not believe you need another big operational headquarters such as (NATO’s planning arm) SHAPE," said Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister. "You have a NATO planning headquarters,...