German Defense Minister Peter Struck made the first positive comments about the possible deployment of German troops in Iraq, although this may not be possible for some time.
“I have made very clear that within the foreseeable future, it is out of the question,” said German Defence Minister Peter Struck, speaking to reporters at a NATO defence ministers conference in Romania on Wednesday. “But certainly there could be times ahead, in years to come, when Germany will get involved.”
But what is really interesting is what Struck told the Financial Times today. Struck backed John Kerry’s idea of a global summit of world leaders to deal with the future of Iraq. In the first two presidential debates President Bush ridiculed Kerry’s assertion that he could bring allies to the table over Iraq. Struck directly spoke to this:
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.”
The comments created some controversy in Germany. Chancellor Schröder was quick to react and stated flatly that the Germany’s position on Iraq has not changed:
Schröder sprach mit Struck über dessen umstrittene Äußerungen. Anschließend sagte der Kanzler nach Regierungsangaben im Kabinett: «Niemand in der Bundesregierung, einschließlich des Bundesverteidigungsministers, denkt daran, die Irak-Position zu ändern.»
But the animosity between Berlin and the Bush administration continues. Struck rejected the proposal by Donald Rumsfeld that NATO should take over the combat mission in Afghanistan from the United States:
German Defense Minister Peter Struck, who met NATO counterparts including US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for informal talks in Romania, told reporters he opposed the proposal to integrate the NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan within the 18,000 strong US-led combat mission fighting remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda.
NATO’s mandate in Afghanistan is to stabilize the country, not to fight international terrorism he said. “The German government sees its mandate as protecting and helping, not fighting,” Struck added. “Therefore, we are against a merger of the two mandates.”
Watch for Kerry in the 3rd Debate to harshly criticize this effort by the Pentagon to “outsource” the combat against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
