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Financial Times
October 30, 2002
Germany ready to resume leading global role, says
Schroder
By Hugh Williamson in Berlin
-With "almost 10,000 troops on international missions"
only the US has a greater international military
presence, he said.
-"Globalisation of markets also means globalisation of
security issues and of human rights."
Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der yesterday signalled that
Germany was ready to resume a leading role on the
global stage, following months of tension with several
international partners and a lack of clarity from
Berlin on key European issues.
In a parliamentary speech outlining his government's
policy priorities until 2006, Mr Schr�der stood by his
controversial rejection of Washington's advocacy of
military strikes agains! t Iraq, and argued that a
conflict in Iraq was still avoidable.
"Due to the international discussion, above all in the
[United Nations] Security Council there is a chance
that military confrontation can be avoided," he said.
The 70-minute speech - a traditional post-election set
piece - disappointed many observers, as it lacked a
clear political vision and details indicating how
energetically the government would pursue economic
reforms.
Mr Schr�der mocked the conservative opposition over
the election results, but otherwise his performance
was often tame and defensive.
The chancellor underlined Berlin's commitment to the
fight against international terrorism and to
peacekeeping operations. With "almost 10,000 troops on
international missions" only the US has a greater
international military presence, he said.
Germany saw a key task in conflict prevention and in
tackling the consequences of globalisation, the
chancellor argued. "Globalisation of markets also
means globalisation of security issues and of human
rights," he said.
He stressed Germany's central role in Europe, and
suggested Berlin would step up its engagement in the
convention on the future of the European Union.
Germany favoured a "clear division in competencies"
between member states and EU institutions, and
supported a strengthening of the European Commission.
The Commission president should be elected by the
European parliament, he said.
Mr Schr�der highlighted the importance of close
French-German relations, despite months of tension in
the bilateral ties.
"Without German-French co-operation - even when
painful compromises are needed - we will not be able
to achieve a Europe that benefits all." Germany last
week struck a deal with France on agriculture spending
that analysts said favoured Paris's interests.
On the domestic agenda,! the chancellor argued that
Germany's "fragile economic situation" meant there was
little room for manoeuvre to stimulate economic
growth. "We have little hope in the short term that
the world economy will improve," he said.
He called on Germans to accept cuts in certain welfare
state provisions that had been taken for granted for
decades.
In one of the few overarching themes in the speech, Mr
Schr�der called on the public to pull together to
"renew" Germany.
Invoking a speech by former US president John F.
Kennedy, he said: "Let's stop asking ourselves what
won't work. Let's instead start asking ourselves what
each of us can do to make it work."
Powell keen to end dispute with Berlin over Iraq
Colin Powell, US secretary of state, indicated he was
ready to set aside the dispute between Germany and the
US over policy towards Iraq during last month's German
elections, writes Richard Wolffe in Washington.
Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister, travels
to Washington today in his first face-to-face effort
to repair the damage caused by the criticism of US
policy on Iraq during the election.
Although Germany remains unwilling to support US
policy in Iraq, Mr Powell said he expected to bridge
the divide with "my old friend and good friend Joschka
Fischer".
"With respect to US-German relations, we have been in
some turbulent times in recent weeks," he said. "We'll
get over the problem, for the simple reason that
Germany and the United States are two nations that are
bound together by a common purpose, by common values,
by common beliefs and democracy."
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