La Germania come l'Italia: incombe il voto parlamentare sull'entrata in guerra

[Paola Lucchesi <paola.lucchesi at mail.inet.it> (by way of Carlo Gubitosa <c.gubitosa at peacelink.it>)]

Dall'Independent, un articolo sul rischio di una crisi di governo nella
coalizione rosso-verde sul tema della votazione imminente per la
partecipazione di truppe tedesche all'azione bellica statunitense.

Come in Italia, la maggioranza dell'opinione pubblica e' contraria
(nell'articolo si parla di un 60% contro la guerra).

Anche gli argomenti dei politici sono gli stessi dei nostri: lo stesso
opportunismo, lo stesso calcolo dei vantaggi nel dimostrarsi
"responsabili", ovvero far vedere a Washington la disponibilita' a far da
spalla...

Come in Italia, il numero dei parlamentari decisi ad opporsi e' esiguo, e
come in Italia la sinistra (che invece a differenza di noi sta ancora al
governo) si e' gia' venduta alla logica dell' "oh, quanto siamo maturi". In
compenso, quel paio di parlamentari verdi e socialdemocratici sono una mina
vagante che rischia di far saltare addirittura il governo.

paola



http://news.independent.co.uk/world/europe/story.jsp?story=104017
German government faces collapse over war row
War on Terrorism: Coalition
By Imre Karacs in Berlin
09 November 2001

The German government came to the brink of collapse yesterday when Joschka
Fischer, the Foreign Minister, threatened to resign over his Green party's
reluctance to support the country's first combat mission since the Second
World War.

A stormy meeting of the Greens was adjourned for a second time, with 15 MPs
still refusing to endorse their government's decision to dispatch up to
3,900 troops to the war zone. At least two Social Democrat MPs belonging to
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's party are also planning to vote against the
deployment next week.

The bill authorising the deployment is almost certain to go through because
two of the three opposition parties have pledged their support. But the
government may not muster the necessary majority from its own ranks for what
is regarded in Germany is the most important decision for a generation.
Failure to whip in line its own MPs would damage its prestige at home and
Germany's standing abroad.

"The contribution we want to make is also an expression of our readiness to
take account of Germany's increased responsibility in the world," Mr
Schröder told the Bundestag.

Mr Fischer is reported to have told colleagues that he will step down if he
does not get the Greens' wholehearted support. That would probably be the
end of the "Red-Green" coalition, which keeps Mr Schröder in power. Leaving
the government could spell political suicide for the Greens, who are
struggling in opinion polls at about five percent, the threshold for parties
to achieve parliamentary representation.

Aware that the majority of Germans oppose the deployment of their troops in
Afghan-istan, the Chancellor and his Foreign Minister used yesterday's
parliamentary debate to try to sweeten the pill. Mr Schröder insisted: "We
are not talking about German participation in air strikes or the
mobilisation of combat troops." Reports probably leaked by the government
suggest that German troops would be based in Uzbekistan, far from the real
action. What is increasingly clear is that this will be a token engagement ­
"an expression", in Mr Schröder's words, "of our readiness to take account
of Germany's increased responsibility in the world".

The Chancellor and his Foreign Minister stressed that Germany had no choice
in the matter. Mr Fischer said: "You can discuss a lot ­ even criticise a
lot, for all I care ­ about the strategy pursued by the United States. But
the core question is whether we want to leave the US, our ally that is
responding to this attack, standing alone."

Frantic efforts were under way last night to ease the conscience of
defectors. The Greens are proposing an amendment that stresses Germany's
humanitarian aid for the Afghan people. The new version also calls for
diplomatic and political solution for the Middle East. Mr Fischer hopes such
a formula will allow a few pacifist MPs to sign up for the full package,
bombs and all.

However, those on the left wing of the Greens, as well as some in the Social
Democrat party, already feel that Germany went beyond the constitution by
participating in international peace-keeping efforts in the Balkans.

The vote to allow German troops to go to Kosovo led to fury in the Green
party, resulting in a physical assault on Mr Fischer at one point. Attitudes
have hardly softened since then, and some on the left wing intend to make a
stand for the sake of what they believe is the spirit of the original Green
movement.