Western European News Digest
Chief German Catholic Military Bishop Finds Many in U.S. Skeptical of War
Walter Mixa, who toured the United States for about two weeks from the end of January till mid-February, reported in several interviews on German radio and television recently, that he met many Americans who were opposed to, and uneasy about, the prospect of war. What impressed him in particular, he said, were officers at the big U.S. military base at El Paso, Texas.
Churchmen and representatives of other institutions in the United States, turned out not to share the bellicose posture of the Administration, Mixa said, adding that he encountered that "not only in the countryside, but also in Washington itself."
Americans in Berlin Form Anti-War Committee
Some Americans living in Berlin have formed a committee to give the broad majority of anti-war Americans a voice abroad. At a press conference in Berlin on March 3, the new organization "Americans Against the War" presented itself to the public with the following statement:
"Polls say at least 60% of U.S. citizens oppose an attack on Iraq without UN approval. War is not inevitable! The U.S. anti-war movement mobilized millions of protesters in the recent demonstrations. Many religious groups have spoken out in opposition, with George Bush's own ... pastor among them. Military experts and veterans of the Gulf War are voicing doubts about the war's practical consequences and morality. Politicians like Senators Byrd and Kennedy, writers, celebrities, and activists are each speaking out in their own way.
"We specifically want to show the German public that there is no united march to war among Americans. We hope to see German media give more coverage to the broad spectrum of opposition in the United States. We also want to show people back in the States that anti-war protests in Europe are not anti-American."
Representatives of the new organization have been quoted as saying that they hope Germany and France are maintaining their anti-war position in spite of all official U.S. pressure, because the resistance in Europe contributes to rallying Americans against the war.
Polish Governing Coalition Now a Minority Government
The coalition of Poland's Prime Minister, Leszek Miller, one of the signers of the "Gang of Eight" letter of European supporters of an Iraq war, has suddenly become a minority government, after he expelled the two Cabinet ministers of his minor coalition partner, the PSL party. On Feb. 28, the PSL had voted against Miller's project to raise tolls on Polish interstate roads.
Running now against the vast majority of votes in the Parliament (Sejm) on crucial issues such as relations with the European Union, taxes, farm and industry policies, and the Iraq war, Miller will have a very hard time keeping his minority government in place. Early elections cannot be ruled out.
French Government Challenges Maastricht System
The government of France is challenging the Maastricht system (the underlying austerity regimen of the European Union), denying that the Maastricht Treaty that set up the EU in its present form is binding for French policy.
According to the March 4 FTD and European wire services, French Finance Minister Francis Mer last week reiterated his position that the Maastricht budgeting criteria are in no way binding for national financial policy decisions, and presented a report to the EU Commission in Brussels that is read as one big provocation: Instead of doing what other EU Finance Ministers usually do, namely, manipulating statistics, Mer admitted in his report that this year, the French state deficit will be 3.04% of GDP, above the upper limit of the 3%-of-GDP level the Maastricht Pact tolerates.
Mer added that, in his view, 3.04% means 3.0%, thereby warning the Commission not to try to discipline France.
The French approach takes advantage of the fact that there are no precise regulations in the Pact on how to act in case a country's deficit exceeds 3%.
In any case, Mer holds that the budget cannot possibly be balanced, unless France has achieved a solid growth of 2.5% annually, and to achieve that, it will have to spend more than the Maastricht criteria would permit. All of this faces the EU Commission with the danger of triggering a debate about the Maastricht criteria, if it pushes ahead with disciplinary measures against France.
Paris Maintains Uncertainty: Will It Veto?
France is maintaining the utmost uncertainty over whether or not it will use its veto power at the UN Security Council, to shoot down the new Anglo-American-Spanish resolution on Iraq this week.
Authorized leaks indicate that the French government will not reveal its intentions concerning the veto until the very last minute. The reason is that, if France were to announce beforehand its determination to veto, the U.S. could then say that pursuing the UN track is totally useless, and it would proceed directly to the war. But if the French say they will not veto, they would lose all means of pressuring the U.S. to pursue the inspections/legal track.
Thus, just as France, Germany, and Russia were issuing their most recent joint statement opposing a new resolution, a deadline, or any other markers on the road to war, the French paper Canard Enchainé was leaking that, in speaking to the tiny committee of Chirac's party (UMP) Alanticists, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin stated that using the veto would be like "shooting the Americans in the back." The same sources reveal that, on Feb. 26, Chirac told a small committee that France had nothing to gain from using the veto power, since, in spite of the fact that "France does what it can, it is impossible for her to stop Bush from going to the bitter end of [the United States'] logics of war."
British Opponents of Iraq War Cheered by De Villepin Statements
British opponents of Prime Minister Tony Blair's policy for war on Iraq are said to be encouraged and moralized, while Blair Cabinet Ministers are reported to be "furious," over the strong statements made March 2 by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, on BBC's "Breakfast with Frost" interview show.
In his interview, de Villepin stated that a new United Nations resolution on Iraq is unwarranted: "Are we in such a situation? No. Do we need a second resolution? No. Are we going to oppose a second resolution? Yes, as are the Russians and many other countries." He insisted that UN Security Council Resolution 1441 allows for inspections to go on, until "we found ourselves in a deadlock. It is for the inspectors to write a report, saying that they cannot work any more." De Villepin insisted that "90% of the world community" shares the French view.
He also affirmed: "Peace is a very important thing. It is a very strong benefit for mankind. We should only accept the use of force when we have tried everything. The question isand sometimes, at night, I wake up thinkinghave we tried everything? France says no."
De Villepin criticized the American and British governments' insistence on "a war timetable," adding, "You cannot say, 'I want Saddam Hussein to disarm,' and, at the same time, when he is disarming, say, 'They're not doing what they should.' "
The French Foreign Minister rejected out of hand the attempts to liken the threat posed by Saddam today, to that of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
In statements to EIR and to the London Independent, reported on its front page March 3, British Labour MP Tam Dalyell strongly welcomed de Villepin's intervention. According to BBC, Dalyell has fired off a letter to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, asking him, "Do you, like the French Minister, wake up at night, asking yourself, 'Have we tried everything? Is it necessary? Is inspection working?' "
De Villepin's comments were also welcomed by former Blair Minister Chris Smith, the MP who co-sponsored the House of Commons amendment which garnered considerable support in the recent vote on Iraq policy, affirming that "the case for war is not yet made."
The Independent reports that members of the Blair Cabinet are "furious" at the French Foreign Minister for his BBC interview, charging that his comments "play into Saddam's hands."
British Liberal Democratic Leader Calls Blair 'Precipitate'
Appearing March 2 on BBC 1's "The Politics Show, Charles Kennedy, leader of Britain's Liberal Democratic Party, accused Tony Blair of being "precipitate" in demanding a second UN resolution on Iraq, and commented: "Are we really arguing at this stage, before the UN process is complete, that the best thing to do, is to start slaughtering people in their thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, as well as losing British and American and Australian lives in the process?"
Kennedy rejected Blair's recent comparison between those who opposed military action in Iraq, and the people who appeased Hitler in the 1930s: "I don't think that using words like appeasement, in this context, is appropriate. They just inflame the situation unnecessarily."
The star of Kennedy and the LDP is now rising in Britain, as support for Blair and war evaporates, and as the Conservative Party leadership, increasingly split on the issue of Iraq, sinks deeper into internal backbiting and feuding.
Germans Who Want Change Should Turn to Merkel, Says Businessweek Writer
Germans who want change in their country's politics should turn to "brave," "honest" Angela Merkel, wrote Jack Ewing in a March 5 piece in BusinessWeek Online entitled, "Commentary: Can Angela Merkel Save Germany?" Merkel, of course, is the party chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, the opposition to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's governing "Red/Green" coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party.
Perhaps those who are imploring "Do something, Schroeder!" should instead be crying "Do something, Merkel," Ewing wrote, saying that CDU head "Merkel's unassuming honesty makes her a voter favorite." Ewing cited Merkel's "spunk" in speaking out for the war in Iraq and for meeting with Vice President Cheney and other officials during her recent U.S. visit. Ewing concluded that "If Merkel wants to be Germany's first woman Chancellor, she may never have a better platform than she does right now," as the Schroeder government, which has been so resolutely anti-war, is embroiled in a huge economic mess and losing strength at the polls because of the economic crisis.
France Calls for Emergency Heads-of-State Summit of UN Security Council Members on Iraq
At the United Nations Friday, March 7, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called for a heads-of-state summit of UN Security Council members to deal with the crisis over Iraq, and the Anglo-American push for war against Iraq.
A March 8 AP wire reported that French President Jacques Chirac is lobbying other heads of state to join him in such a summit to search for a compromise on Iraq, according to his office. The Elysée Palace also reiterated that France is unalterably opposed to the U.S.-British draft resolution before the Security Council, with its March 17 ultimatum.
The wire reports Chirac saying he's begun contacting heads of state, and will contact other over the next days. He said that he has so far received a positive response. "War is not a small thing," the President's office said. "When you declare death or life, this merits being taken to the highest level of responsibility."
In a statement issued March 8, Chirac, urged,"Given the importance of the decision, it seems legitimate that it is taken by heads of state and government," and urged that Bush attend the Security Council vote on the resolution.
The French claimed that the proposal was not aimed at isolating President Bush: "This is in a spirit of conciliation rather than aggression. It's probably in his interest to accept; he won't necessarily feel isolated," said one French official, pointing out that France was discussing the idea with other Security Council members.
Secretary of State Colin Powell rejected de Villepin's proposal almost as soon as it was enunciated at the UN Friday, saying that the heads of state are in constant phone communication about the Iraq crisis and, "At the moment, I don't see a particular need for a heads of state and government meeting at the Security Council, which really isn't the place to deal with issues like this." On Sunday, March 9, U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice also rejected the proposal, suggesting that President Bush considered it "grandstanding."
U.S. Media Black Out French Initiative for Heads-of-State Summit
News articles monitored in the major U.S. mediaNew York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Timeshave had absolutely no coverage of French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin's proposal, made at the United Nations last week, for a heads-of-state summit on Iraq.
Interestingly, the media that are actually more mainstreamSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, and Philadelphia Inquirerdid mention de Villepin's proposal in passing.
German television, on the other hand, covered the proposal, and claimed that it threw Washington into turmoil. The only coverage in the Mexican press occurred in La Jornada, which called the proposal a surprise. "This initiative was rejected later by the United States and other countries aligned with Washington, but the message was clear: this has to do with the New World Order and with who, how, and through what means it will be established," La Jornada commented.
De Villepin Tours African Members of Security Council
The French Foreign Minister's office revealed that he was leaving Paris March 9, to visit the three African nations on the UN Security CouncilAngola, Cameroon, and Guinea. De Villepin is expected to return to Paris on March 11.
|