Roundup: Berlin Begins Repairing Relations with US

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Roundup: Berlin Begins Repairing Relations with US

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With German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder 's government managing to win a second term on Sunday, it has now begun to repair the strained relations with Washington due to their conflicting views on a possible war against Iraq and German justice minister's reported comparison of President Bush with Adolf Hitler.

As his first overseas trip after re-election, Schroeder visitedLondon Tuesday to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. A German government spokesman said they would exchange views on international issues including the Iraqi issue on which Germany differs with the United States and Britain.

Analysts say that the meeting could also be considered as the first step by Berlin to repair through London the strained German-US relations.

Berlin's repeated opposition to a war on Iraq and justice minister Daeubler-Gmelin's reported comparison of US President George Bush's methods in handling domestic affairs with that of Adolf Hitler angered the White House. Bush's security adviser Condoleezza Rice said the relations were "poisoned."

In Warsaw, Poland, German Defense Minister Peter Struck did hispart at an informal NATO meeting to pursue a normalization of bilateral relations. Germany expressed its wish in Warsaw to undertake along with the Netherlands the leadership of the international security force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from the beginning of the next year.

Germany has already 1,200 soldiers in Kabul. "We bear an additional responsibility (with the undertaking of the leadership).I think the U.S. administration will appreciate it," said Struck.

American Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld rejected a personal meeting with his German counterpart. He reiterated US position that bilateral relations were "poisoned." The two officials merelyheld a very short talk at a reception by Poland President Aleksander Kwasniewski.

Struck expressed understanding that Rumsfeld rejected a personal talk with him due to the reported Hitler-comparison by German justice minister.

On Monday, Schroeder announced that the justice minister would not serve in the new cabinet. Analysts deemed that the announcement soon after his re-election was an evidence that he wanted to bridge the breach between the two governments.

In fact, the U. S. Administration has also delivered some signals to normalize relations with Germany.

U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell said in an interview witha Russian newspaper that the German-American relations would remain "close" despite the current opinion differences and problems.

"We would maintain good relations with Germany. " he said.

U. S. Ambassador to Berlin Daniel Coats has accepted an apology made by Matthias Platzeck, a member of the Social Democratic Party' s presiding committee, due to the irritations in the relations.

Yet US government officials said on Monday that Germany has still much to do to repair the chill relations with the United States.

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