Analysis: Germany Softening Anti-War Tone as It Enters UN Security Council

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, January 04, 2003

Analysis: Germany Softening Anti-War Tone as It Enters UN Security Council

Germany is softening its anti-war tone as it began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from Jan. 1 and will chair the council from February 2003.

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Germany is softening its anti-war tone as it began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from Jan. 1 and will chair the council from February 2003.

February is the time when tensions over Iraq will peak and a decision will probably be made. But it is hard for Germany to adhere to its repeatedly-stated anti-war stance.

In an attempt to bring the country more in line with its allies' views, senior German officials have hinted that Germany could vote in favor of an Iraq war should it come to a vote at the Council.

In his New Year address to the nation, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said: "We Germans know from experience that sometimes only violence can stop dictators."

In an interview with the weekly "Spiegel," Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer refused to rule out a "yes" vote for war should it really come. "No one knows how and under which circumstances the Security Council will handle the issue," he said.

Their remarks sparked fears among German people that the government would change its promise made before the election.

Schroeder's red-green coalition managed to get a narrow-win last September, partly thanks to its hard "no-war" stance. He said he would oppose military intervention, which he described as "adventure," even if United Nations agreed with it.

The firm objection angered Washington, its traditional ally, and bilateral relations reached the lowest level in decades.

Schroeder hurried up to repair German-U.S. relations soon after re-election. Recently, his softening on Iraq policy can be clearly seen.

Should a war break out, Germany would grant US troops use of its bases in German territory and German airspace as Schroeder promised. He also agreed to provide German troops to protect US bases in case of war.

Moves to soften anti-war stance are controversial among German public. Latest opinion polls still showed that most Germans were still against Iraq war.

Analysts say Schroeder is preparing the public for the possibility that Germany could endorse war at Security Council vote, though he sticks to its line that no German troops will be deployed for an Iraq war.

Leading members of Schroeder's SPD party said Germany would not be a lone dissenter. "I can't imagine that happening," said Hans-Ulrich Klose, spokesman on foreign affairs for the party, to the Frankfurt Allgemeine newspaper, "It would be a setback for Germany's position in the world."

But the government continues to state that there is no change in Iraq policy. "We don't take part in a military action. Therefore, we can't speak about a change in the German position," said Schroeder earlier this week.

Analysts here suggest that Germany's softening on the Iraq issue could also be motivated by its ambition to become a permanent member of the Security Council. That goal could be undermined if Germany acts against collective decision of the body, they add.

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