Merkel's coalition partners slam US missile shield
GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partners sharply
criticised at the weekend U.S. plans to put parts of a missile shield in
central Europe, saying the project could spark a new arms race
reminiscent of the Cold War.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of the
centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) that rule with Merkel's
conservatives, warned Washington in a contribution to the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung not to try to split Europe into "old" and
"new" with its plans.
SPD Chairman Kurt Beck went further, urging the bloc to unite against
a project Russia sees as an encroachment on its former sphere of
influence and an attempt to shift the post-Cold War balance of power.
Under the plan, the United States wants to deploy a radar system in
the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland by 2011-12. It
says the system is designed to counter threats from so-called "rogue
states" like Iran and North Korea. "We don't need new missiles in
Europe," Beck told top-selling Bild newspaper, in an echo of the fierce
debate in Germany during the late 1970s over the deployment of U.S.
Pershing medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe.
"The SPD does not want a new arms race between the USA and Russia on
European soil. Europe must speak with one voice on this," he added.
Merkel was forced into a coalition with the SPD after a narrow
election victory in 2005.
Their criticism of the U.S. plan comes a day before Steinmeier is due
to travel to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on issues including the Middle East peace process and
Iran's nuclear programme.
It follows a European tour last week by the top U.S. missile defence
official, Lieutenant General Henry Obering, aimed at easing concerns on
the continent about the missile shield plan.
Merkel, who repaired transatlantic ties after her SPD predecessor
Gerhard Schroeder clashed with Washington over the Iraq war, has said
she wants a debate on the missile shield within the NATO alliance but
has stopped short of criticising the United States outright.
She is concerned the row could overshadow Germany's presidency of the
European Union, dividing the bloc and hampering her bid to revive the
European constitution.
Berlin, Monday, Reuters |