In this issue:

Pope's Appeal: 'No to War. War Is Not Always Inevitable'

Italian Archbishop: 'Preventive War Is Not Just War'

French Defense Minister Has Strong Words Against War

New French Offensive To Avoid War

Catastrophe in German Construction Sector

Messina Bridge Project Enters Preliminary Phase

German Chancellor's Wife Fights Back Against Media Campaign

Amelia Robinson's Popularity Grows in Italy

From Volume 2, Issue Number 3 of Electronic Intelligence Weekly, Published Jan. 20, 2003

Western European News Digest

Pope's Appeal: 'No to War. War Is Not Always Inevitable'

Pope John Paul II, in his address to the annual New Year's diplomatic reception, issued an urgent appeal: "No to war. War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity, though. International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between states, and the noble instrument of diplomacy—these are the methods worthy of individuals and nations, in resolving their differences. I say this as I think of those that still place their trust in nuclear weapons, and (as I think) of the too many conflicts that continue to hold our sisters and brothers in humanity hostage.

"What to say about the threats of a war which could crush the population of Iraq, land of prophets, populations already exhausted by more than 12 years of embargo? Never can war be a means like many others, to use to regulate disputes among nations. As the UN Charter and the International Rights repeat, you cannot use war, even if for the purpose of ensuring the common good, unless it is the extreme last resort and in respecting very rigorous conditions; nor are its consequences for the civilian population, during and after military operations, to be ignored.

"It is possible to change the course of events, if good will and trust in others ... prevail."

What the world needs to have lasting peace and to avert the danger of new wars, is political leaders who work for the common good, the Pontiff said, who respect human life and natural international law.

In the beginning of his speech, the Pope thanked the dean of the international diplomatic corps, Ambassador Giovanni Galossi, whose introductory remarks had "pointed to the legitimate expectations of modern men and women." Ambassador Galossi had stated that all efforts must be made to prevent war, and had called for "an effective vigilance over the so-called free market, which often humiliates weaker countries, with serious social repercussions." Galossi also called for a "careful reconsidering of globalization, so that it replaces success and profit at any cost, with more human and morally valid ends, aiming at increasing—which would be possible through new technologies—the living standard of many peoples who still lack basic goods."

Italian Archbishop: 'Preventive War Is Not Just War'

In an interview Jan. 18 with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Italian Archbishop Renato Martino, chairman of the Justitia et Pax Committee of the Vatican, stressed that "preventive war is not just war." Martino, however, says he is "confident that the war will not break out," because he "trusts that rulers are reasonable," adding, "If weapons are found, then Saddam must comply. But if they are not found, we must lift the embargo which has been starving that population for 12 years.... Preventive war is not included in the definition of just war, which is only defensive war." A war against Iraq, Martino says, "would risk blowing the Middle East powder keg, will relaunch terrorism against the USA, will strengthen the anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world.... It will be easier to recruit suicidal terrorists. But I am confident that it will not break out."

How to interpret, then, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair's war talk? "I insist on considering it a form of deterrence, accompanied by troop movements to give strength to the words. Of course, there are other elements which, day by day, confront me in this confidence, but not all of them can be reported." Answering a question on whether the Pope is being unilaterally severe with America on the issue of war, Martino rejected any allegations of partiality: "I exclude an anti-American view! It suffices to read the entire speech, last Monday [Jan. 13], to the diplomatic corps, to find [in it] a planetary concern for peace." The Pope demands a lot from America because "he is confident that America can give a lot. It is a Christian people, and the Catholic confession is the [single] most numerous one. Therefore, the Pope is confident he will be listened to."

French Defense Minister Has Strong Words Against War

In an interview in the Jan. 18 issue of the Financial Times of London, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said that her position and that of the entire French government, is that everything that relates to the Iraq issue, must go through the United Nations process, in full respect of existing international law. "If a country excuses itself from international legality, that means any other country can do it. That's also the danger we see in the notion of preventive strikes. If someone judges on his own that he feels threatened and acts without consulting anyone, I can name 20 countries around the world that could be in exactly the same situation. You immediately trigger war between India and Pakistan, you trigger war between Senegal and Gambia, you trigger war between the two Koreas, with all the consequences."

New French Offensive To Avoid War

Despite the media play of French President Jacques Chirac's New Year's statements to the French military, Chirac stressed on Jan. 9 that "there is no change in the French position." The reality is that, in collaboration with other circles internationally, the French have launched a new offensive to block the war. As France chairs the UN Security Council this month, Foreign Affairs Minister Dominique de Villepin sent a letter to all 15 of the Council's members, calling for the reinforcement of the inspectors' team, including for all Council members to hand over to Blix's team, all information in their possession showing that the Iraqis are developing WMDs. Le Monde of Jan. 10 states that "this is a transparent criticism of the United States and Great Britain."

The French have also organized a Security Council conference on terrorism for Jan. 20, indicating that this is a bigger threat than Iraq. The French see no linkage between the two.

In addition, according to Le Monde Jan. 10, and to Liberation of the same date, France is pressuring President George W. Bush to submit proof of Saddam's duplicity. According to Liberation, "France and Russia clearly let it be known that it was now up to the White House to prove its claims that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction." Several American sources confirm to Le Monde this analysis. David Sheffer, vice president of the UNA/USA Research Center and former Clinton Administration ambassador, states, "Now the burden of proof is on the U.S., if they want the support of the UN Security Council." Nancy Sodenberg, director of the International Crisis Group and former number two at the U.S. Mission to the UN, states, "We are constantly pushing back the moment, but we will soon come to the point where the divisions covered up so far by Resolution 1441 will explode into broad daylight. There is no unanimity within the Council in favor of the use of force.... The United States is still divided on the question of whether it should go to war in February or not."

Meanwhile, a French group of independent "inspectors" arrived in Baghdad Jan. 9. Gilles Munier, the president of the Franco-Iraqi Friendship organization (the main pro-Iraqi defense group in France with numerous ties into Chirac's party), is heading the delegation of "military and scientists" who will "inspect" all the sites. They have no official mandate, but aim to keep fighting against the war.

Catastrophe in German Construction Sector

On Jan. 24, employers and employees of the German construction sector are planning mass rallies in at least Frankfurt, Duesseldorf, Hanover, and Nuremberg to protest the unprecedented collapse of the construction business in Germany, and demand an urgent "turnaround" in the government's economic policy. The demonstration will run under the motto "Construction sector in trouble—Citizens in trouble." In Frankfurt alone, 5,000 workers are expected to participate.

Michael Knipper, managing director of the federal association of German construction companies, noted that after seven years of recession, the mood among workers is "highly explosive." The latest unemployment figures are indicating a further "dramatic" worsening. And the German government, in particular Finance Minister Hans Eichel, must realize that for the German construction sector, it is already "five minutes past midnight," as the government's cuts in investments and tax breaks are "strangling it to death."

The work force of German construction firms has imploded from 1.41 million in 1995 to 840,000 at the end of 2002. This year, another 50,000 jobs will probably be eliminated. Unemployment among Eastern German construction workers alone has risen to 147,000, the highest December level ever since reunification. Construction orders have collapsed on all levels: public infrastructure investments, housing, and corporate investments.

*German cities, which account for two-thirds of public investments in Germany, are in a dramatic fiscal crisis, causing them to reduce their infrastructure investments by one-third since the mid-1990s.

*Office-building is in a precarious situation in cities like Frankfurter, Duesseldorf, and Berlin, causing vacancy rates on average to double to 6.5% during the last 12 months. Most serious is the situation in Frankfurt, where the banking crisis and the sudden disappearance of certain "New Economy" entities have pushed the vacancy rate of office buildings to 7.3%. The volume of newly rented office space in Frankfurt plunged by 25% last year and this trend is accelerating. As a consequence, average rents of office buildings in Frankfurt downtown fell from 33 to 25 euros per square meter within one year.

Furthermore, the German government has just eliminated several tax breaks for building new homes. Already last year, the number of housing starts in Germany fell to just 275,000, compared to 600,000 in 1995. This year, less than 250,000 are expected. The number of finished homes will probably fall to only 150,000, while 200,000 would be needed just to maintain the present level of houses in Germany. The Institute for Municipal Construction, Housing and Construction Affairs (IFS) has put out a warning that if present low rates of housing construction continue, there will soon be shortages in German housing, leading to rapidly rising rents.

Messina Bridge Project Enters Preliminary Phase

The Stretto di Messina SpA, the company formed by the Italian government to draft the project for the Messina Bridge, has given the green light to the preliminary phrase of the project. The preliminary phase will last two years; the first brick will be laid in 2005, and the work will be completed by the year 2011.

The Messina Bridge will connect Sicily to the Italian mainland across a 3,300-meter main span, the longest suspension bridge ever built. The main piers will be anchored in 120 meters of water, and there will be a new patented lighter deck design which deals with aerodynamic and seismic problems. Reportedly, the bridge will be 59 meters high, 11 meters lower than the original project, in order to cut costs.

Environmentalists will try to sabotage the project by calling on the European Commission to enforce an international bid procedure.

German Chancellor's Wife Fights Back Against Media Campaign

Doris Schroeder-Koepf, wife of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, has started to fight back against a nasty media campaign targetting her and her husband (reported on in earlier issues of EIW).

In an interview with the Stern weekly, Schroeder-Koepf said the entire story about an alleged crisis in her marriage with Gerhard Schroeder is a concoction and "clearly, a campaign."

"They want to force Gerd out," she said. "We have no such crisis, because we a happily married couple. We do have a well-functioning marriage.... The attempts to write my husband out of office, will fail. They underrate him. He is a tough guy."

The Chancellor himself also struck back recently, when asked at a Berlin press conference by a U.S. journalist what the situation with his marriage was. Schroeder responded by asking the journalist: "Well, what about your marriage?"

Amelia Robinson's Popularity Grows in Italy

After her two recent trips to Italy, Amelia Robinson has become extremely popular in that country. Inserting her name in a search engine gives as result 10 pages of Italian web sites reporting on her visit and her interviews. Even in her absence, Italian media keep reporting on her. On Jan. 17, the editor of the largest national daily, Corriere della Sera, mentioned her in the headline story of the "Letters to the Editor" page; on Jan. 18, national radio channel Rai3 broadcast an interview with her which had been taped the day before, in their regular transmission entitled "Men and Prophets," dedicated to Martin Luther King. The program, including Mrs. Robinson's presence, was advertised on the Rai website.

Also, the interview Mrs. Robinson had taped with Radio Vaticana during her most recent visit to Rome, has been broadcast on the "Action day against slavery." Recently, interviews and reports have appeared in publications such as the magazine of the Italian Evangelical (Lutheran) Church, Confronti, and in the magazine of the Buddhist church, Buddismo e Societá. In all the interviews and reports, Mrs. Robinson focusses on her association with Lyndon LaRouche, tells the story of her fight for civil rights, and calls on Europeans to mobilize against the war.

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