Posted on 07/11/2006 7:17:46 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
BERLIN, July 11 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised U.S-German relations and emphasized her readiness to critique President Bush if necessary as his arrival nears.
She said she had spoken about her concerns over the U.S.-run military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, "at every meeting we had."
Bush had recently said he was willing to close down Guantanamo.
"Its end may of course not lead to renewed terror threats," Merkel said in a lengthy interview with German TV station RTL.
Merkel, who invited Bush and his wife Laura to visit the eastern German state of Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania, in the interview praised the renewed U.S.-German relations.
"I am happy that we can talk about problems openly, sometimes controversially, and sometimes uniformly," she said. "I have the impression that this is good for Germany, Europe and also for the United States."
Merkel added she saw her role in global politics as "bringing together as many countries as possible."
The Bush visit to Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania is seen by analysts as a sign of a strong rapport between the two leaders.
They say the period of strains between the two countries during the second term of Merkel's predecessor in office, Gerhard Schroeder, has been overcome.
Bush will arrive in Germany Wednesday evening and stay for two nights, before he heads to St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Group of Eight summit.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man isn´t free, all men are not free. Time for a change in North Korea and Iran.
?? This sentence must be interpreted as "terrorists must not be set free when the camp is closed". Good for her, that she added it.
It's less of a prison than the rest of the island.
LOL, the problem is the legal status. I´d rather see them convicted for membership in a terrorist organisation by a regular court. That´s the least one could charge the inmates with.
I like that, and it´s exactly the role I want for Germany - being a honest broker between the reluctant countries (call them weasels) and the US/UK on the other hand.
LOL! Thanks for the translation, because I thought that it was just nonsense!
Do you really not get it? Regardless of how clean and perfect and neat and tidy and well treated the prisoners are Gitmo saps American of its moral authority.
Gitmo is a PR nightmare and even the President knows it.
It symbolises the antithesis of what America stands for in freedom, justice and the rule of law.
I understand the logic behind Gitmo, but think it has caused more harm than it has helped in the WOT.
I have seen Freepers post that giving the enemy a propaganda victory is akin to treason. You will have to search far and wide to find a better propaganda tool than Gitmo.
Gitmo is Ribbentrop looking up Concentration Camp in the Encyclopedia and the definition being British use in the Boehr Wars.
Then it's probably the holyday club some friends of mine have been telling me about.
They even brought me cigars.
But it would be nice if she wouldn't fund these effords with a the highest tax rates in the german history.
Welcome socialism.
Germany has become a socialist Republic under Kohl. He and Mr. Blüm weren´t capable of dealing with the system changes we´re facing on the issues health, pensions and labor.
Schröder developed a strategy how to make things worse, and he did great for 4 years, but October 2002 it all came out.
Merkel - now bound in a coalition between the socialist SPD and the semi-socialist CSU - is acting like a chairwoman, trying to bring the positions together by giving up her position as the CDU-chairwoman. I´m not happy with the politics, but I trust her personally, and I´d choose her about anybody else - the words she said about "let´s dare more freedom" weren´t lies. It´s just that the others don´t want it. I´d love to see a CDU/CSU/FDP coalition! And if you also referred to the EU-finances, well, it was gesture of kindness for Poland, which was not rewarded. Instead, the Polish President throws mud on all of us for a commentary by the worst daily newspaper in Germany.
For foreigners, Cuba is a great place to visit, but the natives can't even get within miles of those nice resorts.
The images foreigners get to see of Cuba, are like the images the Red Cross inspectors got to see at Thereisenstadt.
Yes, and Fidel is their buddy. What's up with that?
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"Gitmo is the most cleanly run prison on Earth."
It's less of a prison than the rest of the island.
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Very, very true!
The first such trial would change your mind, I think.
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I have seen Freepers post that giving the enemy a propaganda victory is akin to treason. You will have to search far and wide to find a better propaganda tool than Gitmo.
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That I'd have to agree with.
I'd love to see the same coalition that you like - but with a more capable figure of leadership.
No not Klinsmann,
I'd love Christian Wulf to do the job.
You think she's a chairwoman ? I don't think so. Her idea of integration is to never say no and don't get caught with a personal attitude. Just like she's learned it in Adlershof. (Her first steps in her carrier)
Some people are just unfit for command.
Schröder was a bastard - he would have gone home if things didn't work out the way he could have lived with - that's AFTER he would have made the life of his political enemies to hell. BTW he backed Chirac and will burn in hell for that - but he lowered the taxes for the german industry. He's closer to republican ecconomics than merkel is.
I don't want him back - but she's a big problem.
Scales are not the same for Cuba and the US I guess.
Maybe that's because the US are known to fight for peoples rights rather then to limit them.
It seems to me that she's very clear in what she says. The 'of course' is added for emphasis.
"Its end may of course not lead to renewed terror threats"
So, what she's saying is, "Its end may not lead to renewed terror threats." It could, certainly the potential is there, but it also might not. Very Kerry.
I know that - but then again Cuba is not North Korea
My wife was born in Cuba, recently her Cousin went to a Sandals resort in Cuba, and visited some of her relatives there. She sent us a video. What really struck me was just how emaciated and old the people looked, and these were people in their 40s. Maybe it's not North Korea, but that isn't saying much.
It's tough live there - and you're certainly dead poor as a cuban.
It's not all Buena Vista Social Club there.
I guess when Fidel closes his eyes there will be changes.
If certain south american people don't infect the whole region. Since when are people like Chavez allowed to pester the US so much ?
No hands free at the moment ?
Gitmo is a device which is incredibly effective at sorting out the adults from the children. The degree of breathless hysteria and rhetorical overdrive displayed by the critic is a negative indicator of intellectual seriousness.
This is really starting to piss me off. Let me share a few thoughts:
The fact that 1,000,000 people believe a wrong idea does not make it a right idea. Period. It doesn't matter how many times you repeat a wrong idea, it does not improve by repetition. Period.
Those at Gitmo are not civilians who can appeal to fundamental legal rights, they are not POWs in the sense that the Geneva Convention defines POWs. They are illegal combatants, period. They have no Geneva rights, period. As illegal combatants, they had the right to be shot or hung on the spot...that's pretty much the extent of their legal rights. Instead, they are taken to a place that has better food and medical care than most Americans enjoy. Gitmo has the odd distinction of being the only "gulag" where the prisoners leave in better health and weighing more than when they arrived.
Of course, we couldn't release most of them if we wanted to...at least not to their home countries, because that would be considered another violation of human rights. Funny how the despotic nature of regimes such as Syria and Saudi Arabia are always a reason for us not to act, but never a reason for us to act...what's up with that?
It's the usual suspects who are criticizing Gitmo, who would be criticizing something else if Gitmo wasn't here. I've seen too much reflexive anti-Americanism to be impressed with this whining.
I'm past the point of taking the UN seriously, and past the point of taking most Europeans seriously...they hold as much intellectual sway with me as would Michael Moore or Susan Saranden. That is the danger that you should consider, that you aren't being taken as intellectually serious anymore.
Finally, there may be a lot of people and societies that have the status to lecture us about human rights and the proper conduct of nations toward each other...but none of them are in Europe. Europe has spent most of the past three centuries killing and invading each other...they seem to think that provides them with some kind of moral and intellectual insight...I don't. They seem to have learned the wrong lessons, and proceed with all due haste with...appeasement.
Europe has grown quite smug about the peaceful relations they have with the rest of the world, while cowering behind our skirts. We're in the process of removing our defense shield from Europe...you'll have to test drive your ideas about human rights and governance for a hundred years or so before they need be taken seriously. We'll see how well they work without having your bodyguard standing there.
For most of Europe, I wouldn't p!ss on them if they were on fire. There are, of course, exceptions.
rant OFF
You continue to underestimate her leadership. Just because she leads behind closed doors and by phonecalls she makes that doesn´t mean she´s not leading. Nobody makes it into the Chancellery who cannot lead people. She has given many people who thought like you a boot-kick before.
Re: Cuba
I´d never visit it until it becomes a democratic country. I refuse to support countries with my tourist dollars which do not support the basic human rights. Therefore, although travelling there is cheap: no way! Oh, and no Cuban cigars either. I like those from the Dominican Republic ... not a paradise for human rights activists, but not as bad as Cuba, N Korea or Iran.
Good for you. I went to the Dominican Republic last year, had a great time, and it is fairly democratic, at least by Caribbean standards.
" Europe has grown quite smug about the peaceful relations they have with the rest of the world, while cowering behind our skirts."
Amen to that!
I'm on the moderate side but this post WAS good; agree with pretty much most of it except about the 100 years thing though; I wouldn't underestimate Europe in a state of crisis.
Real friends can criticize each other in respect and behind closed doors. This IS very well an expression of close relations. I don´t understand why are wondering about it. Regulary phonecalls and private talks between the German Chancellor and the US President were and are quite normal, except between 2002-2005.
Most of Europe became welfare state democracies after WW2. It's only become apparent in the last 20-25 years that it's not sustainable. It's true of the US, also; we didn't really see the negative consequences of the Great Society for 20, 25 years. We're just starting to see the result of multiculturalism.
I' subscribe to your poit of view. I don't feel well in tourist plastic wolrds either.
Cigarrs from Dom.Rep. are partially as good or even better then Cohibas and Cuabas.
Excellent post. However, the problem is, when all is said and done, Gitmo is about as legitimate as the ICC, for instance. Basically, a bunch of countries thought up the concept and 'voted' themselves the power to do it. After all, what right did the Netherlands have to legally try Milosevic, for example? No different than Gitmo.
She boot-kicks with the help of majorities she found by compromising her targets a lot thus betraying the people that have voted for her (like you and me).
I voted for her because She would
- reduce our states deficit !
- undo Eco Taxes
- pave the way for a flat tax concept
- reducte burocracy
- decouple side costs of salearies
- open new concepts of employment rather then social welfare
- would stick to reforms and carry them out stringently
- Bind international ties - standing in for german interests
- Have an eye on european developements paving the way for a constitution
- support german and european companies interests in econmic cooperations with other countries
Well - and what did we get ?
She's kicking opponents butt's because she gives in to the demands of every powerfull lobby - that's how things worked in the DDR !
She is weak.
This is a truly interesting point worthy of further exploration. I fear it would be thread hijacking (bannable offense)to turn this into a debate on the relative merits of the ICC. Moreover, I am not an expert in international law and am fairly ambivalent on the ICC, but definitely do not think the US should be on board because it would eventually be used against it.
The legitimacy of democratically elected representatives of a variety of nations creating a court and trying war criminals regardless of the crime is legitimate is a great question. I do know that it is only legitimate when those states have significant economic and military weight to back them up. So in the end, might makes right anyway.
Yep!
Merkel - now bound in a coalition between the socialist SPD and the semi-socialist CSU - is acting like a chairwoman, trying to bring the positions together by giving up her position as the CDU-chairwoman. I´m not happy with the politics, but I trust her personally, and I´d choose her about anybody else - the words she said about "let´s dare more freedom" weren´t lies.
Well said, but just to moderate between the different political positions will not help the country to manage the crisis. I think that we need new elections since the SPD is not capable for any change. They are married to their godforsaken welfare state.
And if you also referred to the EU-finances, well, it was gesture of kindness for Poland, which was not rewarded. Instead, the Polish President throws mud on all of us for a commentary by the worst daily newspaper in Germany.
Those funny twins are a political mess that will do severe damage to Poland and its image abroad. It is indeed true that Merkel is de facto helpless to political satire. We have not a "guided" democracy and we do not want to become one. If the Polish President is unable to understand this it is his own problem. Therefore: The article in the taz was offending BS but Merkel is not responsible to it.
No. It´s not her being weak - it´s the coalition. Merkel is the Chancellor, but a Chancellor in a grand coalition can only be a chairman. If more people had voted for us, we could fulfill our promises. With the SPD, there´s no room for real reforms.
Regarding the German interests in the foreign policy: she´s exactly doing what you request! Germany is highly regarded again within NATO and EU. She isn´t wishy-washy on Iran, or human rights in China and Russia.
Right on!
.... we could fulfill our promises
famous and often heared words of a governmet in charge.
We sure got a good consense in some question of foreign politics - that's right. She's done a fine reform on confederalism as well - not ideal but important.
Failing to reform our health and pension system is driving straight into desaster. Failing to reduce our depts is even more so.
She's in charge - she's taking the blame - no excuses.
WHAT A BULL!! We are in a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, just in case you haven´t noticed! The parliament is "in charge", and it´s not that a Chancellor these days has the same powers like a Chancellor had in 1938. We are in a COALITION. That means to make COMPROMISES. Are you capable of seeing responsibilities? Ask yourself who is the motor in that coalition and who plays the breaks.
A motor would have moved the important points. I don't see a motor anywhere near her.
Beeing in a coalition means to find majorities for the projects that are important to you. She has to identify with the things she wanted to achieve not with primarily power and office - experience tells me, that's how you loose power in the longer shot - and fail the points you wanted to make.
If she is making the compromise to fail the important things she has to leave office and start new elections. At least she has to do more than saying - well folks we all got to safe money - and allow her minister of finance to file the largest budget in our history. That could have been avoided - even with the SPD.
Regarding the reform of our health system the facts stand that we pay highest prices for pharmaceuticals in this entire world. Why should we ? Thanks to restrictive politics and french states influence we are nearly bare of our former pharmaceutical industry, Bayer/Schering doesn't count to much annual turn-over wise. Should we pay for the developement of that Industry in Switzerland or France ?
We don't need a Bismarck to fix that.
Don't tell me we are screwed because we are living in a democracy - that would be BS in capital letters as you set it in a somewhat nervous manner.
I'd say Germany is in much better hands.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1664513/posts
The President has arrived yesterday and will now spend the day with the Chancellor. They surely have a lot to say that they take so much time, don´t you think?
Merkel is in office since 8 months, she has met Bush (incl. this trip) three times on a bilateral basis.
What kind of actions to you expect? We´re not in a phase of any conflict whereas one has to speak about concrete committments. It´s fine that both leaders have a good share of unity on Iran, N Korea, Israel, etc. We´ll have the G-8 summit in Russia at the weekend, and it´s great that Germany and the United States will have a common position.
So, it´s not just talk,talk,talk. The actions you want to see are prepared and executed. That Chancellor Merkel has criticized the camps on the island of Cuba in public was due to the socialist Ministers in her cabinet and the German public. At least she has done it in a diplomatical way, and with all respect towards the office and person of the POTUS. You cannot expect more kindness among disagreeing statesmen on issues that are controversial even within your own country.
If President Bush was so reserved/skeptical towards the Chancellor as you are, we could really throw our relations in the litter box. But he and Merkel trust each other, that´s what you can see. And it´s a kind of positive payback that Merkel has proved to have a backbone 2002/2003.
Remarks by President Bush and Chancellor Merkel of Germany in Arrival Ceremony
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BUSH
AND CHANCELLOR MERKEL OF GERMANY
IN ARRIVAL CEREMONY
Stralsund Market Square
Stralsund, Germany
9:55 A.M. (Local)
CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, Minister President, Lord Mayor, ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Stralsund, let me say that I am delighted to be able to welcome you on behalf of the representatives of the land, and also of the city. I'm delighted to welcome most warmly the President of the United States of America. Mr. President, a very, very warm welcome to you. (Applause.)
Mr. President, I'm delighted to be able to welcome you here in this part of our country that I can truly call my political home, the Hanseatic City of Stralsund. Stralsund was part of the League of Hanseatic Cities -- that is to say it is imbued with a spirit of openness to the rest of the world. And in 1989, it was also one of the many cities where on Monday demonstrations took place, where people went out into the streets to demand freedom, to demonstrate for freedom. And we're happy to say in these days it is part of the land of Mecklenburg-Vor Pommern and also part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
And I think that this is a very good opportunity, indeed, to say a word of thanks -- thank you for the contribution, for the support that we have enjoyed throughout from the people of the United States of America, from the American government, to help us along the way towards German unification. I think we owe you a big debt of gratitude for being able to finally live within one country in peace and freedom; one country -- Germany. (Applause.)
I think one can safely say that ever since we were able to achieve German unity a lot has happened, and, indeed, Stralsund is a case in point. If you look at the fact that when the GDR finally collapsed you had about 600 monuments here of historic importance in the city, itself, that were slowly decaying, that were slowly in ruins, and part of them have been restored over time. But there are still quite a lot of problems that remain to be solved. One of them, obviously, is the fairly high unemployment in this particular part of the country, the need for economic progress and economic upturn. And this is why I am also delighted to have you here, to show you here in my constituency what it means when people try to take their own fate, their own future into their own hands and try to turn it to something positive, they are willing to work for the future of the city, for the future of this region.
And I think it also clearly illustrates what we can do together in order to confront the international dangers, the threats at an international level that are common to us all, and that we can do in order, together, work for peace and freedom for our two countries.
Yet again, a very, very warm welcome to you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all. Thank you, Chancellor Merkel. Thank you all for coming. Laura and I feel welcome here in Stralsund. To the Mayor, and Minister President, and the people of this beautiful town, we say, Guten Morgen. (Applause.)
For decades, the German people were separated by an ugly wall. Here in the East, millions of you lived in darkness and tyranny. Today your nation is whole again. The German people are at the center of Europe that is united and free and peaceful.
You've given Germany a fine Chancellor in Angela Merkel, who I'm proud to call friend. (Applause.) The American people and the German people see the same qualities of character in your nation's leader. We see a bold vision and a humble heart. We see that she's willing to make hard decisions and eager to build strong partnerships. And like many others in the international community, I respect her judgment and I value her opinion. (Applause.)
It's such an honor to be in her constituency. When I met with her in the Oval Office, she said, when you come to Germany, you need to come to one of the best parts of Germany. (Applause.) She didn't predict the weather. (Laughter.) But I want to thank the Mayor for delivering such a beautiful day. (Applause.) And she forgot to tell me I was going to get some herring, and I thank you for that gift.
I bring a message from the American people: We're honored to call the German people friends and allies. (Applause.) We share common values and common interests. We want to work together to keep the peace. We want to work together to promote freedom. There's so much that we can do, working together, and that's -- part of my visit today is to pledge to you and the Chancellor, America and Germany stand side-by-side. (Applause.)
Thank you for your warm welcome. May God bless you all. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 10:14 A.M. (Local)
And, your point is??
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