Germany prepares to repair rift with Washington

The German Chancellor visited Tony Blair, the Americans' closest European ally, within one day of his victory; Joschka Fischer, the leader of the Green party and Foreign Minister, said that the irritation caused by the comparison made between Hitler and George Bush by the German Justice Minister (who has since resigned) could be smoothed over. It is expected that Fischer will visit Washington very soon, where he is widely admired by the neo-conservative establishment close to the Bush administration. Fischer said it was ,,eccentric"to compare the American president to Hitler. He said that it was important, whatever the former Justice Minister had really said, that not even the impression was given that such a comparison was being made. He emphasised that the USA was Germany's most important partner and he called for good relations with America. Without the USA, he said, the reunification of Germany would not have been possible.

For his part, Chancellor Schröder recalled that he had put his government on the line when he took a vote of confidence on the question of Germany's participation in the war in Afghanistan. If there were now differences of opinion, he said, these should be discussed in such a way as not to damage relations. In Poland, where the American Defense Secretary is currently attending a Nato meeting, the Polish president said that George Bush had communicated to him his extremely deep sense of injury at the comparison with Hitler. Rumsfeld for his part refused to meet bilaterally with the German defence minister, Peter Struck. ,,I have no plans to meet that person,"said Rumsfeld.

Donald Rumsfeld ratcheted up the pressure on the Germans when he said in Warsaw on Wednesday that the United States had proof of a link between Iraq and Al-Qaida. The German Chancellor said during the campaign that if there was proof of such a link, then Germany would stand shoulder to shoulder with the USA in the war on terror.

The German Defence Minister, Peter Struck, said, after the meeting in Warsaw, that there were ,,signs that we will soon be back in a good atmosphere of friendly co-operation."Karsten Voigt, the co-ordinator of relations between the US and Germany, said that it must become clear that the USA and Germany share the same goals on Iraq, namely disarmament. The government spokesman, Uwe-Karsten Heye, also said that the German government would be working to re-build bridges but that no date had yet been set for a phone conversation between Schröder and Bush. Donald Rumsfeld showed no signs of any rapprochement, however: he said of the German government: ,,If you're in a hole, you should stop digging."

European Foundation Intelligence Digest Issue No. 151 26th September 2002