Dateline 9th August 2005

Report from our German colleagues at german-foreign-policy.com
translated by Rodney Atkinson

INTRODUCTION (RA)
It is scarcely credible how Germany gets away with it all! While imposing draconian EU measures on other states it exempts itself from those very measures. After opposing the war on terror (with one German Minister comparing George Bush with Hitler!) the German Foreign Office then hosts conferences in Germany for the new regime in Afghanistan installed by US troops driving out Islamic extremists. Having tried since the Second World War to destroy Yugoslavia Germany manages to persuade Britain and America to do the job for them! While joining France and Britain in an attempt to persuade Iran to import rather than manufacture its own enriched uranium Germany (like Iran a non nuclear power!) itself turned down a similar offer from the US and insists on manufacturing its own enriched uranium! After attacking the USA over the war in Iraq Germany now (see below) hosts a business and political conference in Munich for the new Iraqi regime whose Government rest on the blood of British and American soldiers.

Once again we see ominous parallels with the fascist era of the 1940s as Germany seeks to curry favour with "credible actors of Islamic, pan Arab, anti-colonial, left wing, progressive and tribal elements". Such policies in the Middle East are being pursued today by the manipulative and omnipresent German Political Foundations which, as ostensibly educational foundations, are in fact State funded agents of influence for the German Foreign Office.

Germany gets away with these things because of the ignorance and incompetence of the British Government and its joke of a Foreign Office. No wonder our intelligence services wrote a few weeks before 53 people were murdered on the London underground that "no terrorist group had the ability or intent to bomb the UK".

At the end of a German Iraqi economic conference in Munich the participants talk of welcome business success. The German corporations present were able to "make contacts and establish networks", said a spokesman for the organisers.

The condition for an imminent resumption of business was the improvement in the security situation in Iraq. These attempts by German industry to re-establish their once leading trade position in Iraq were complemented by various political initiatives from the German Foreign Office. There are increasing demands from Iraq (but not the Iraqi Government) for the withdrawal of American troops. At the same time Berlin is pushing for the Iraqi adoption of German ideas for social order "Germany is in many things a model" was the opinion of even the Iraqi participants in the conference.

The first German Iraq economic conference was held in Berlin in April 2004. At this second conference some 300 Iraqi and more than 200 German businessmen as well as several members of the Iraq Government and high ranking representatives from public and financial organisations. "We are very happy with the conference" said the spokesman for the Munich Chamber of Commerce and Industry which under the aegis of the German Federal Economics Ministry had organised the conference.

"Some specific business" had already been initiated. The Munich conference was followed by a training programme of several months duration for 50 Iraqi experts. The course also involves a German language course and an 11 week practical in German industry.

As soon as Iraq's oil production is "stabilised and begins to increase" then Iraq would again reach its former importance and "take over a leading role in the region" declared the president of Bayern Edmund Stoiber at the opening of the conference.

At the beginning of the 1980s Germany had become Iraq's most important trade partner exporting goods worth up to 4,000m Euro (including massive sales of chemical industry capacity!). That trade had in the intervening period collapsed but the old trading structures are in tact and could be put in motion again, hoped the Munich Chamber of Commerce.

In order to secure Iraqi trade and promote political contact the german Foreign Office is fnancing so called study tours which are designed to persuade Iraqi participants of the advantages of adopting german state and political structures. So 15 high ranking politicians from Baghdad were recently introduced to the German federal system of government. In this way, shortly before the publication of the first attempts at a new Iraqi constitution, germany was able "to have direct influence in constitutional discussions" claimed the Friedrich Naumann (Political) Foundation. The Foundation which supports the German Free Democratic Party was the sponsor of the Iraq programme of the German Foreign Office.

As regards historical facts today's Iraqi-German cooperation also suffers from a limited knowledge of the facts! Germany "had not taken part in the war against Iraq and "had never occupied an Arab country" claimed the German participants. In fact of course German military planning during the First World War was aimed at taking over British and French possessions in the Near East and with its North African troops targeted Arab countries in the Second World War!

In fact during the Iraq War Berlin provided logistical support for US forces - while simultaneously seeking to promote itself as pacifist! Berlin was happy to allow their Iraqi guests such critical expressions as "The Americans must withdraw" as the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper quoted them as saying and as German business interests were happy to hear - since their competitive interests are directed against US industrial dominance. In energy as well as in "military and police affairs" the US "had control" said the Director of the German Arab Chamber of Commerce in Amman. A withdrawal of British and American troops would relieve this situation.

Similar sentiments dominate semi official foreign policy organisations like the Berlin based Economics and Political Foundation (SWP) whose director Volker Perthes demanded a reduction in US influence in all Arab states. The EU should act in its own interests in choosing its regional partners and "counter the pressure from US, Israeli and other Arab states" says the SWP in a policy paper. It goes on to say that Germany should cooperate with "credible actors of Islamic, pan Arab, anti-colonial, left wing, progressive and tribal elements" (remarkably similar to the Middle East Nazi policies of the 1940s! - ed) Such policies are being pursued by the German Political Foundations.

Such a go-it-alone German policy in the region without reference to Germany's NATO partners and the Governments of the states in question is part of the aggressive promotion of "German Europe's" interests in the vital energy rich Near and Middle East and North Africa - it has nothing to do with aspirations for peace!