October 16, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 9, 1423

BERLIN: The German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, has taken the highly unusual step of repudiating a central plank of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s re-election platform.

In an exclusive and outspoken interview with the Guardian, Fischer scoffed at repeated claims by the chancellor during the election campaign that his opposition to a US-led attack on Iraq heralded a new “German way” in international diplomacy.

Asked if there was room for a “German way”, Fischer replied: “No. That’s nothing. Forget it. Forget about a German way.”

His blunt words revealed the degree to which Fischer feels strengthened and liberated by last month’s election result. The key role that he and his Green party played in securing a majority for the centre-left has given the foreign minister a new standing in the government he appears ready to exploit to the full.

He also revealed that he was preparing an initiative on the future of the European Union, and signalled deep misgivings about the limited scope of the blueprints under discussion in Giscard d’Estaing’s European convention.

Fischer gave no indication that he was ready to back an invasion to overthrow President Saddam Hussein. “My biggest concern is what will happen in [the Middle East] the day after,” he said.

But he was adamant in rejecting the nationalistic rhetoric in which Schroeder had wrapped his opposition to US policy. And he warned that such an approach could drag his country back into its disastrous past.

“I don’t want to comment for the chancellor, but I tell you: forget it,” Fischer said. “There is definitely, in foreign policy, no German way as there is in domestic policy.”

HE ADDED: “Twenty million people have voted for the left. It’s the majority. The first time. And then you ask whether we’ll go back to our own way; to the nightmares. That’s history. We are part of Europe.”

His forthright comments come at a particularly sensitive moment in Germany, just as the Greens are trying to negotiate a coalition deal with Schroeder and the Social Democrats. But the remarks will be welcomed in Washington and in European capitals, where there has been concern that Germany might be drifting towards unilateralism.

The worst crisis in US-German relations for half a century erupted after one of Schroeder’s senior party colleagues was quoted as saying during the election campaign that George Bush was using Iraq to divert attention from his domestic failures, in the same way as Hitler had done.

Fischer suggested that, not only the German election, but also the mid-term elections in the US, had a bearing on the row. “It would be senseless not to see that both countries were, or are, in elections,” he said.

During the general election Germany kept a low profile in the recent debate on Europe’s future arising out of the convention. But Fischer said Berlin would be “back on stage” with new ideas as soon as a government was formed.

Behind the scenes, he is engaged in a battle with the chancellor to retain control of European affairs, which Schroeder would like dealt with by a separate ministry. Though reluctant to enter into the detail of Germany’s proposals, Fischer made it clear that they would go beyond anything so far discussed between the other leading EU states.

“If the Europeans want to play a role in the 21st century, they have to find ways to unite themselves,” said Fischer, who two years ago stirred up the debate that led to the creation of the European convention. “I know it’s not very popular (in the UK) to talk about full political integration, but if we want to play our role in the 21st century as a viable partner of the US, (we must) go for Europe or we’ll face serious consequences and pay the price. And all these nice things [being] discussed now make not one step, but make a third of a step or a tenth of a step, or a fifth of a step. You can do that, but you will see that at the end it will not really work and you will pay the price.”

He said that only a “real step to political integration will give us the role that we deserve and we need”.

Last week, it was reported that Schroeder had given qualified backing to a plan for a full-time president of the European council, appointed by member states. The idea already has the enthusiastic backing of Tony Blair, the French president, Jacques Chirac, and the Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar.

Fischer echoed reservations reportedly voiced by the chancellor at a private dinner in Brussels with the head of the EU commission, Romano Prodi. “What about the authority of the commission? What about the authority of the parliament?” Fischer asked. “Does that mean that we’ll have more authority for the council, less authority for the commission, less authority for the parliament? Is it more inter-governmental Europe?”

Fischer said the idea of a full-time president “sounds not bad”. But he added: “I don’t believe it is enough.”—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.