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| Wed, 10-13-2004 - 1:30am |
Germany in rethink on Iraq force deployment
By Hugh Williamson and Gerrit Wiesmann in Berlin
Published: October 12 2004 22:07 | Last updated: October 12 2004 22:07
Germany might deploy troops in Iraq if conditions there change, Peter Struck, the German defence minister, indicated on Tuesday in a gesture that appears to provide backing for John Kerry, the US Democratic presidential challenger.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Struck departed from his government’s resolve not to send troops to Iraq under any circumstances, saying: “At present I rule out the deployment of German troops in Iraq. In general, however, there is no one who can predict developments in Iraq in such a way that he could make a such a binding statement .â€
Mr Struck also welcomed Mr Kerry’s proposal that he would convene an international conference on Iraq including countries that opposed the war if he were to win next month's election.
Germany would certainly attend, Mr Struck said. “This is a very sensible proposal. The situation in Iraq can only be cleared up when all those involved sit together at one table. Germany has taken on responsibilities in Iraq, including financial ones; this would naturally justify our involvement in such a conference.â€
Berlin has refused to comment on the outcome of the US election, but Mr Struck's comments are significant as Mr Kerry has argued that he would be able to draw in countries to work in Iraq that opposed the war. Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, was a leading opponent of the US-led Iraq war and his re-election in 2002 was secured in part on support for this stance.
Mr Struck and other German officials said developments in Iraq meant the position over troops was under constant review, noting that Berlin was already providing financial assistance to Iraq and training Iraqi troops and police officers in the United Arab Emirates.
A senior official said: “When the situation in Iraq changes, when elections have been held, or there are other developments, then we will make decisions on this basis.†If a democratically-elected Iraqi government were to ask the UN for support, the international community, including Germany, must be in a position to respond, the official added.
Mr Struck said Germany's attendance at the conference proposed by Mr Kerry did not mean Berlin would immediately deploy troops. Analysts in Berlin argue that a Kerry victory would increase pressure on Germany to step up its involvement in Iraq, even though public opinion is still firmly against the US role in Iraq and against any heightened German engagement.
Mr Struck said he could envisage Germany making a larger “political contribution to stability in the regionâ€, building on mediation efforts in recent years by Joschka Fischer, foreign minister, regarding Israel and the Palestinians.
Germany announced last month a shipment of 20 armoured vehicles to the Iraqi military, as part of Berlin's increased involvement in Nato-led reconstruction efforts there.

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I read a story elsewhere saying the German government said it was not changing policy. If Kerry is elected, that tune will soften.
So to answer your question, the reason Germans didn't like Bush was that his ideology is too conservative for them. Also, they don't think being a "cowboy" is a positve attribute for a president ;).
Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board
THE ALLIES
German Officials Reiterate Opposition to Sending Troops to Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/14/international/europe/14germany.html?oref=login&oref=login
By RICHARD BERNSTEINPublished: October 14, 2004
"There will be no German soldiers in Iraq," a government spokesman, Thomas Steg, said, answering reporters' questions about the interview in The Financial Times in which Defense Minister Peter Struck seemed to hold the door open for a possible change in Germany's policy.
"The position of the German government as far as Iraq is concerned is clear - it will not be changed," The Associated Press reported that Mr. Steg said. "It will remain in the future what it was in the past - there will be no German soldiers in Iraq."
In the interview, published Wednesday, Mr. Struck said, "At present I rule out the deployment of German troops in Iraq." But then, in the comments that provoked speculation about the possibility of a change, he said, "In general, however, there is no one who can predict developments in Iraq in such a way that he could make such a binding statement."
Germany, which, with France, led European opposition to the invasion of Iraq, has embarked on a program to train Iraqi police recruits outside Iraq, but it has declined to send any of its own troops. Given Germany's size and importance, any change in that policy would have a powerful impact on the American-led force itself and on international attitudes toward the Iraq war.
German officials were emphatic in rejecting speculation that any active thought was being given to altering Germany's refusal to participate directly in the war.
"No one in the federal government, including the defense minister, is thinking about a change of position on Iraq," the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was quoted as telling cabinet members in a meeting on Wednesday.
Asked why Mr. Struck made a statement that seemed bound to raise questions about the firmness of Germany's position, an official replied that Mr. Struck's remark was largely theoretical to the effect that nobody could say for certain what might happen if conditions were to change.
In taking his firm position against the Iraqi invasion, Mr. Schröder was widely supported by the German public, which remains convinced that the invasion was a disastrous mistake. It would be politically difficult for any German government to deploy troops to Iraq, certainly as long as armed opposition there continues.
Moreover, German law requires parliamentary approval for any dispatch of German troops outside German territory, and it would be difficult for any government to get such approval. If conditions in Iraq ever became stable and the armed opposition to the American-supported government disappeared, the public here might accept a deployment of German troops as part of a United Nations-authorized peacekeeping force, but short of that, it is hard to imagine public approval of any German military involvement in Iraq.
Mr. Struck reiterated Wednesday that there were no plans to send troops to Iraq, but, once again, he seemed to leave the door open to the possibility of an eventual change.
"I have made very clear that within the foreseeable future, it is out of the question," he told reporters while on an official visit to Romania. "But certainly there could be times ahead, in years to come, when Germany will get involved."
Renee ~~~
Renee ~~~
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