[Peace] NO to US war against Iraq

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Here's the rather conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on the
speech.  Note the Bush quote, "I told the chancellor that I have no war
plans on my desk, which is the truth."  (I'm glad he tells us when he's
not lying.) Best, Carl]

The German parliament heard an appeal for a united defense of common
Western values on Thursday in an address that was the highlight of U.S.
President George W. Bush's visit to Germany. The speech, the first to the
Bundestag by an American leader since the parliament returned to the
historic Reichstag building in 1999, joined broad themes of democracy and
freedom with Mr. Bush's bid to strengthen the resolve of Germans, and
other Europeans, to support his war against terrorism. "We build a world
of justice, or we will live in a world of coercion," Mr. Bush warned,
adding at another point, "We are building and defending the same house of
freedom -- its doors open to all of Europe's people, its windows looking
out to global challenges beyond." By all of "Europe's people," the
president made clear that he was also referring to the people of Russia,
where he flew just a few hours after his Bundestag speech. His calls for a
joint war against international terrorism were combined with an invitation
to the Russians to become part of a global alliance for a peaceful and
just civilization. There was also a clear effort to convince skeptical
Europeans that they should support him in the broadening of that campaign.
Although the possibility of an attack on Iraq was not mentioned during Mr.
Bush's address, he described Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as a continuing
threat during a news conference later with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and
appealed to Europeans not to ignore it. The fear that the United States
will attack Iraq was a major factor in bringing out thousands of
protesters to peace demonstrations during the 19-hour Bush visit, and Mr.
Schröder appeared eager to downplay any open discussion of possible German
participation in such a campaign. "There are no concrete military plans
for attacks on Iraq, so there is no reason for me to speculate," he
replied to a reporter who asked him to clarify Germany's position. Added
Mr. Bush: "I told the chancellor that I have no war plans on my desk,
which is the truth." During his appearance before a packed parliamentary
chamber, which gave him a cordial welcome apart from the heckling of a few
members at the beginning of his speech, Mr. Bush stressed that military
and other security means alone would not make lives in the West secure.
Poverty, disease and corruption must be overcome, and education vastly
improved in the developing world, he said. Mr. Bush assured
parliamentarians that the United States would not regard a stronger and
more united Europe as a rival, but had an interest in the "success of our
allies." Before leaving for Moscow, he paid tribute to his country's new,
more cooperative relationship with Russia. "Russia and the West are no
longer enemies" and this has enabled Moscow and Washington to reduce arms
and lower tensions, he said, an observation that will have had resonance
for many listeners in a city that was for so long the embodiment of
East-West divisions. The Bush visit was accompanied by the stiffest
security measures ever seen in Berlin. On Wednesday evening, 58 people
were arrested after violence broke out at demonstrations, but the crowds
at Thursday's protests were smaller than expected, perhaps because of the
wet weather. In private talks with Mr. Schröder and German Foreign
Minister Joseph (Joschka) Fischer that included U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell, Mr. Bush sought ideas and support for constraining Mr.
Saddam. At the news conference, he called the Iraqi president a dictator
who presented a "real threat" to the entire international community. But
he also said Germany should use whatever diplomatic means it could to
influence him, and while acknowledging that his administration was
studying military options he added that Germany would be consulted before
any military action. Mr. Bush and the chancellor also focused on the
Middle East, with Mr. Schröder expressing backing for U.S. policy. At a
time when many backers of strong transatlantic ties are concerned by
growing U.S.-European differences on environmental, trade and other
issues, including the war on terrorism, both Mr. Bush and his hosts
stressed that the German-U.S. relationship remained strong. Mr. Bush said
Germany was an important partner for the United States and thanked the
country for its military commitment in Afghanistan, which he recognized as
a difficult political decision for Mr. Schröder in view of postwar
Germany's traditional fear of foreign military entanglements. In his
welcoming address, the parliament's president, Wolfgang Thierse, prodded
Mr. Bush to support the Kyoto treaty on climate control and the
International Criminal Court, both of which are opposed by the United
States. But he also noted that Mr. Bush's speech to the German parliament
came on the 53rd anniversary of the passage of the Federal Republic of
Germany's constitution, a document that he described as the political
basis for a democratic state that remains heavily indebted to the United
States.  "None of that has been forgotten," Mr. Thierse said. [FRANKFURTER
ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG]


On Fri, 24 May 2002, jencart wrote:

> Hi Friends,
> 
> I just left msgs for Dick Durbin (202/224-2152), Peter Fitzgerald
> (202/224-2854), Tim Johnson (202/225-2371), and George W. Bush
> (202/456-1414) objecting STRONGLY to the Bush statement yesterday, in
> Germany, that the US has now officially (and pre-emptively) gone to
> war against Iraq.  (His statement was met w/ boos from the German
> audience and MASSIVE protests in the streets.  The story aired on BBC
> World News (PBS, Ch 12, 5p Thurs 5/23) but there was zero mention of
> ANY of this on any other PBS, PBR or CBS station last evening or this
> morning......Maybe I'm dreaming all this, I mean ALL of this war
> stuff??
> 
> In Peace and Solidarity, Jenifer Cartwright
>