INTERVIEW WITH JOSCHKA FISCHER
GERMAN FEDERAL FOREIGN MINISTER

GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

October 30, 2002

Excerpts

BILD: Mr Minister, never before have a US President and a German Chancellor not spoken with each other for as long a period as George W. Bush and Gerhard Schröder. Are German-American relations at a low?

Fischer: No, not at all! There has been a host of contacts between the two Governments during the last few weeks. I myself spoke to President Bush at a lunch marking the opening of the UN General Assembly. It was a very amicable conversation. German-American relations are good and stable. That has to be the case because the US is our most important partner. We owe the Americans not only our freedom but also our democracy. And we will never forget that we also owe them German unification. The father of the current President played a particularly important role in that. Of course, in an alliance of friends there will always be differences of opinion. For instance, on the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court or the policy on Iraq. After all, friendship doesn't mean we always have to have the same opinion. With regard to Iraq, we Germans are asking ourselves what impact a military strike would have on the region as a whole? And is the US really prepared to shoulder the long-term burden of guaranteeing peace and stability in the entire region? By the way, it should be noted that many people in the US are asking these same questions ...

BILD: No congratulations on the re-election, no invitation to talk things out - rarely has a US Administration treated the government of an ally with such icy contempt as Bush has treated Germany's Red-Green coalition. Do you regret having stirred up public opinion with anti-American slogans during the election campaign?

Fischer: There were no anti-American slogans. What has it got to do with anti-Americanism when we state clearly that we believe that a military strike against Iraq would be wrong? In an alliance of free democracies such discussions are necessary and meaningful. If they give rise to irritations then they are irritations within the family. And that is how we then clear them up: in open friendly talks. I, for one, am in constant contact with my counterpart, Colin Powell.

BILD: ... that may be true in the case of the Foreign Minister. But does the White House still bother with the Chancellor?

Fischer: We should certainly not overestimate the influence which European Governments have on American policy. The US is a continent - larger than Europe, with cultural differences. Incidentally, this is precisely what makes this country so fascinating. So when we are talking of influence, we shouldn't only look to Washington. There are countless contacts at all levels and in all parts of the country. In the US, too, many believe that Gerhard Schröder will not only govern Germany for another four years but for a bit longer. Our partnership therefore rests on a very realistic foundation.

BILD: Why doesn't the Chancellor simply reach for the telephone and call the US President?

Fischer: You'll have to ask the Chancellor that yourself. I can only say that it is not a question of telephoning. When there's a problem, talks are held at many different levels. Incidentally, Schröder and Bush will be meeting soon at the NATO summit in Prague. The US Administration knows that when we make decisions on war and peace, we make them because we believe they are right. That goes for both the Chancellor and for me. If we believe it has to be done, we'll do it. And if we believe that a military action is too risky then we say so. Such fundamental decisions cannot be made just to curry favour with somebody. That is why we intend to stand by our decision: Germany will not participate in a possible military strike against Iraq. I know that this will be understood in the US.

BILD: It all sounds a little different in the American papers. They are talking about "poisoned relations " and an "ice age" ...

Fischer: Don't believe everything you read in the papers! In recent weeks representatives of Jewish organizations, among others, have expressed their relief that the right-wing views and anti-Semitism were given no chance in the Bundestag election.

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