German inquiry to probe Iraq war, CIA links

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament gave the green light on Friday for a parliamentary inquiry into whether German spies in Baghdad helped the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 at a time when the government was publicly opposed to the war.

Lawmakers voted to approve the probe, which will examine various sensitive aspects of the security services' work and their cooperation with the United States.

It will also look into the Central Intelligence Agency's alleged abduction of a German national and secret transfer of at least one terrorist suspect via Germany.

The government of conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously argued in vain that the investigation would be a time-wasting distraction that would stir up anti-American feeling at a time when Berlin is trying to repair U.S. ties.

But the three opposition parties teamed up to force the inquiry after a spate of media reports alleging that two German agents in Baghdad helped the United States launch its invasion, including by picking out bombing targets.

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20060407/2006-04-07T103005Z_01_L01743682_RTRIDST_0_INTERNATIONAL-SECURITY-GERMANY-SPIES-DC.html

and saw his soul. :evilgrin: