Schröder: No German troops to Iraq

In an interview with DW-TV, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder confirmed Germany’s commitment to fight terrorism and work toward stability in Afghanistan. But he said there were no plans to send German soldiers to Iraq.

After Tuesday’s attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad which killed 24 people, the German government came under mounting pressure to rethink its attitude toward military involvement in Iraq. However, in an interview conducted on the lawn of the chancellery in central Berlin, Gerhard Schröder reiterated that no German soldiers will be going to Iraq.

“There are no concrete requests vis-à-vis the German government to send soldiers to Iraq, neither by the coalition forces, nor by the United Nations,” the chancellor said. “This is why there’s simply no need to enter into such a theoretical debate at present. You also have to see that our capacities are limited.”

At present German troops are involved in large-scale operations in Afghanistan, the Balkans and the Horn of Africa. Estimates are the soldiers will be posted there for some time to come. According to officials in the Bundeswehr, or German Federal Armed Forces, the military is already stretched to the limit.
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http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_954206_1_A,00.html
(including Video and Audio)

The Reistag attacked - oops - the UN headquarters - you're either with us or agin' and all that!
Guess the sympathy card don't work no more, huh? Poo Bushco!

eom

Senator Lugar talked to Schröder just before that Interview. My impression is that Germany will take care of Afghanistan and won't be asked for Iraq.

Luger was interviewed as well, but I have found no translation of that interview. He said a few interesting things and even conceded that the post-war planing sucked.

The Lugar Interview in German
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,262610,00.html

It's pfuck off! It's been a while since I spoke my native tongue.... about 54 years to be precise!

Weder sehen!

:-)

french troops,which means no un troops untill the us gives up sole power to the united nations. the french and russians will never agree to any un intervention untill they get their oil field contracts and russia is paid the money owed to them. we are in for a long bloody war.....

We'll see how many bodies it takes before we once again discover our allies' relevancy.

Let's see now; how does the Bush mind work, being totally devoid of empathy of any kind? The French, Russians, Germans, all etcs. should come bounding with joy to fight the mad Iraqis and to rebuild the country that we summarily destroyed (using their own money and risking the lives of their citizens.) There is no thought to the fact that they were right when they said war was not necessary and that the inspections should continue under UN direction. But now these same former allies should rally to America's salvation, with no reward other than helping their ex-pal, the US, get richer ( the bush-supporting corporations, that is) and get more power-crazed. Oh, sure.

but to Cheney, Rummy and W


WE F$%KING TOLD YOU SO!!!

:bounce:

But be cautious: he is a political mastermind; his aides are proof of that.

What I like about him is the self-made thing.
He grew up poor and did everything himself. He completed an apprenticeship and played soccer like everyone; made his High School diploma ("Abitur") in an evening school and went to the university.

I didn't want to mention the other "self-made-guys" in german politics, who grew up poor, but I guess he's among the most corrupt guys, who ever played a major role in german polititics. You would even have to find a new word, corrupt doesn't fit. For one cent, he would immediatly sent our troops to Iraq. It's just a sign of the complete failure of post-war-europe that guys like Schröder or Fischer or Blair gained political power. Just look back at what Schröder and Fischer did, when Serbia was invaded. I just pray that Fischer has to drive a cab again, and Schröder is selling used cars. Don't count on the germans, they just have different economic interests than Bush.
Sorry Kallanved,
Dirk

I can respect that you have been disappointed, but you go a little far. I know several people who work with him (some have worked with Kohl) and they speak very highly about him. And unlike Kohl there are files.

Schröder's anti-war stance was influenced by the upcoming elections; no question about that. I would be very surprised to see him send troops for "1 cent", though. Nobody would stand for it.

Don't be sorry for your opinion; this board covers a broad political spectrum. And it's easier to ignore an opposition from the right than from the left.

The cheese-eating surrender monkeys are miffed for some reason, and folks all over the globe are finding fascinating things to look at under their fingernails as Lil George now needs some help to pull his manly tit out of a wringer.

We did indeed tell that idiot that this would happen. And the folks who are going to pay the price for it all . . . well, let's just say they're probably not chowing down with Georgie at his $2,000-a-plate fundraisers, if you know what I mean.