| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Schroeder to build bridges to Washington via Blair |
| 2002-09-24 |
| German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday in his first foreign visit since winning re-election as he seeks to calm a row with Washington over Iraq. In another move to build bridges, Defence Minister Peter Struck said Germany and the Netherlands had offered to take command of the international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan when Turkey's mandate expires at the end of the year. Germany would probably be expected to provide more troops for the operation, relieving pressure on U.S. and British forces — the likely leaders of any attack on Iraq. Struck told reporters at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Warsaw the offer should help ease tensions between Berlin and Washington. "Yeah, sure! We'll do that for ya! Anything else you want?" Despite the move, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who said Schroeder's anti-war rhetoric in the election campaign tainted ties, was still expected to snub his German counterpart by refusing direct talks on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. "Struck? Struck? Don't believe I know him. Where'd you say he was from?" Schroeder, whose strident opposition to a U.S. strike on Iraq helped him win a second term on Sunday, was due in London on Tuesday evening in what could be a first step towards narrowing European differences on the looming threat of war. New chancellors traditionally make their first post-election visit to Paris, but Schroeder has had strained relations with French President Jacques Chirac, who was widely seen as favouring his conservative challenger, Edmund Stoiber. You can tell he's a bright fellow. How many people can cheese off both the Merkins and the Frenchies? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #4 Schroeder is used to dealing with other leftist politicians. If you say bad things about theem, you can make it right by offering an apology. This time he's dealing with a politician who's a Texas good 'ole' boy first, politician second. Since the time that dueling was outlawed, Sothrons have had another way of dealing with insults. The offender becomes a non-person. Schroeder may not have fallen dead in a duel, but I'm willing to bet my authentic collection of Confederate money, that in Bush's eyes, he's just as dead. |
| Posted by: Ray 2002-09-24 13:38:31 |
| #3 Even better, publish every scrap of evidence showing how our "allies": France Germany, et al supplied Saddam with replacemnt parts, communications, armaments, and bio-chem-nuke knowhow, then refused to support us - saying there wasn't proof. Shift our bases to those who support us: the czechs, poles... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2002-09-24 12:45:28 |
| #2 Hate to say it, but we might as well consign Germany to the same place we've consigned France -- certainly not an enemy, but also not a country you can count on when the going gets tough. We shouldn't make it easy for Schroeder. We can be nice in public and otherwise give Schroeder the back of our hand. His first briefing on our plans for Iraq should take place in July, 2004 or so. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-09-24 12:28:17 |
| #1 Did the lefties that Schroeder was sucking up to by being so all-fired anti-American know that the post-election suck-up to the U.S. would involve jamming Germany deeper into Afghanistan? Just curious. |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2002-09-24 10:48:12 |