Bush Official Says U.S. Deeply Hurt by German Moves
Fri May 2, 2003 08:29 AM ET
By Erik Kirschbaum
BERLIN (Reuters) - The first U.S. cabinet member to visit Berlin since a rift between the two countries over the Iraq war said on Friday the United States felt betrayed and deeply hurt by the row.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick also said Washington was watching warily moves such as "odd meetings" led by Germany and France to boost European defense integration and that the creation of a European counterweight to the United States was harmful for transatlantic relations.
But he told journalists that he believed mutual German-U.S. interests, especially in business, would bring the world's first and third largest economic powers together again.
"I'm here to extend my hand," he said.
"Germany was always a good partner for the United States in the past and will be in the future. There are strong mutual interests. It's not just because of the historically close ties, it's because of our mutual interests," he said.
He said millions of jobs in both countries depend on good relations.
"There's no denying how deep a sense of disappointment and hurt there is," Zoellick said before meeting German business and government leaders.
"When the chips are down, we'd like to be able to count on our friends and it's difficult when our friends are against us," Zoellick said. He noted the United States helped Germany by firmly backing reunification despite some European resistance.
"I can remember when Germany needed friends in 1989," said Zoellick, who is on a European tour aimed at putting troubled world trade negotiations back on track.
Referring to France as well as Germany, he added: "It wasn't just opposition or disagreement, but an active effort to undermine the United States and organize efforts against us."
TIES POISONED
Zoellick will not meet Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who angered President Bush by disparaging U.S. moves on Iraq. Schroeder's sharp language sent relations into a tailspin.
Schroeder refused to send German soldiers to join the war, dismissed the war as an "adventure" that would "set ablaze" the region and even said Germany would not "click its heels" and follow the United States into the conflict.
U.S. officials then said ties with Germany were "poisoned."
The stinging criticism of the U.S. government was hugely popular in Germany and helped Schroeder come from far behind in surveys to beat challenger Edmund Stoiber in the 2002 election.
Bush pointedly did not congratulate Schroeder on his narrow victory. The two leaders have not spoken since November, even though Schroeder has recently said he regretted the "exaggerated remarks" made during the election campaign.
Zoellick, who was the last Bush official to visit Berlin on June 6, 2002, said the talk in Germany of making Europe a bulwark to stand up to the U.S. power was not helpful.
"Obviously our view is that this is not good for transatlantic relations," he said.
Zoellick said the meeting in Brussels this week of four European Union countries -- Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium -- to boost European defense integration had not gone unnoticed.
"It was an odd meeting in Brussels. It was not constructive and not something people respond very positively to."
reuters.com
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As expected, the invasion of Iraq and the Bush Middle East policies would cause great conflicts and deep distrust between the US and its traditional European allies (and allies in the other regions), and would cost of the relationship between US and the NATO members. This has unfortunately become a reality and it is one of the great costs US is facing.
Will the situation become significantly better before getting worse? Very doubtful. |
