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99061
Sat, 01/09/2010 - 19:18
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http://m.oananews.org//node/99061
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German gov't split over Afghan strategy ahead of London confab
Berlin, Jan 8, IRNA - The German government is deeply divided over its future strategy in Afghanistan ahead of the international Afghan conference, scheduled to be held in London on January 28.
Berlin's new political assessment of the German military mission in Afghanistan has been overshadowed by a major dispute between Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his fiercest inner-cabinet rival, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
While Westerwelle strongly opposes sending new troops to Afghanistan,
Guttenberg has hinted at supporting the deployment of more soldiers in the war-stricken country.
The ministers' quarrel has also marred German preparations for the London conference since it is still unclear as to who will represent the government at the high-profile confab.
A ministerial meeting at the chancellery on Monday did not yield any results on the issue of Germany's political course at the London conference, according to the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel.
Westerwelle reiterated at the chancellery session that he would not agree to boosting his country's troop size in Afghanistan despite mounting American pressure for more German soldiers.
The outspoken foreign minister had made international headlines for threatening to stay away from the upcoming Afghan conference, should the meeting focus only on military aspects of the Afghan war.
Talking to the Hamburg-based news magazine stern, Westerwelle said, "I will not go there (London), if the Afghanistan conference is only a purely troop provider conference."
Although he has stressed the need for a broad political concept and a comprehensive strategy in the Afghanistan, it remains absolutely uncertain what Berlin's future plans for Afghanistan will be.
The press has started to speculate on the number of additional Germany troops for Afghanistan, hovering between 1,000 and 1,500, after Guttenberg called US demands for 2,500 German soldiers "unrealistic."
It is also unclear how many of these fresh troops would be actual combat forces, while the other soldiers would only be used as military trainers for Afghan security forces.
It is also doubtful whether the German parliament approves a major change in the Afghan mandate, given the fact that more than 70 percent of Germans call for the withdrawal of their country's forces from Afghanistan and over 80 percent oppose sending more soldiers to the Asian country.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel whose center-right government coalition
has been criticized for its in-fightings over several key political issues, among them tax policy, health care reform and a politically sensitive museum appointment, has kept a low profile on the case.
Political observers in Berlin expect Merkel to eventually take up a clear stance on the Afghan issue in a bid to end the embarrassing row over the future course in Afghanistan.
The chancellor has to present a concrete and coherent Afghan strategy at the London meeting, if Germany wants to be taken seriously by other NATO countries, according to experts./end
Berlin's new political assessment of the German military mission in Afghanistan has been overshadowed by a major dispute between Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his fiercest inner-cabinet rival, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
While Westerwelle strongly opposes sending new troops to Afghanistan,
Guttenberg has hinted at supporting the deployment of more soldiers in the war-stricken country.
The ministers' quarrel has also marred German preparations for the London conference since it is still unclear as to who will represent the government at the high-profile confab.
A ministerial meeting at the chancellery on Monday did not yield any results on the issue of Germany's political course at the London conference, according to the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel.
Westerwelle reiterated at the chancellery session that he would not agree to boosting his country's troop size in Afghanistan despite mounting American pressure for more German soldiers.
The outspoken foreign minister had made international headlines for threatening to stay away from the upcoming Afghan conference, should the meeting focus only on military aspects of the Afghan war.
Talking to the Hamburg-based news magazine stern, Westerwelle said, "I will not go there (London), if the Afghanistan conference is only a purely troop provider conference."
Although he has stressed the need for a broad political concept and a comprehensive strategy in the Afghanistan, it remains absolutely uncertain what Berlin's future plans for Afghanistan will be.
The press has started to speculate on the number of additional Germany troops for Afghanistan, hovering between 1,000 and 1,500, after Guttenberg called US demands for 2,500 German soldiers "unrealistic."
It is also unclear how many of these fresh troops would be actual combat forces, while the other soldiers would only be used as military trainers for Afghan security forces.
It is also doubtful whether the German parliament approves a major change in the Afghan mandate, given the fact that more than 70 percent of Germans call for the withdrawal of their country's forces from Afghanistan and over 80 percent oppose sending more soldiers to the Asian country.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel whose center-right government coalition
has been criticized for its in-fightings over several key political issues, among them tax policy, health care reform and a politically sensitive museum appointment, has kept a low profile on the case.
Political observers in Berlin expect Merkel to eventually take up a clear stance on the Afghan issue in a bid to end the embarrassing row over the future course in Afghanistan.
The chancellor has to present a concrete and coherent Afghan strategy at the London meeting, if Germany wants to be taken seriously by other NATO countries, according to experts./end
