Post by RPankn on Jan 12, 2006 4:28:47 GMT -5
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will couple criticism of the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay with a vow to do more to help stabilize Iraq when she meets President George W. Bush on Friday, a senior German diplomat said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler, in an interview with the German daily Passauer Neue Presse published on Thursday, said however that German aid to Iraq would remain limited to the training of security personnel and humanitarian relief.
"Mrs Merkel will certainly speak in critical terms about Guantanamo when she is in Washington. She has signaled that herself," Erler said.
"At the same time, she will strengthen Germany's commitment to helping stabilize Iraq. We are talking about the areas where Germany is already present -- the training of security staff and humanitarian aid."
Merkel travels to Washington on Thursday on her first U.S. trip since replacing Gerhard Schroeder as Chancellor in November.
She has vowed to improve relations with the superpower, which were shaken when Schroeder clashed with the Bush administration over the Iraq war.
But she has also shown she will not hesitate to speak out on issues which divide Berlin and Washington. In a weekend interview with a German magazine, she said the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorism suspects could not exist indefinitely.
Like Schroeder, Merkel has vowed not to send German troops to Iraq.
Ahead of the visit, German media reported that German spies in Baghdad helped U.S. bombers confirm at least one target during the 2003 Iraq war despite Berlin's assertion it was not involved at all in the conflict.
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060112/ts_nm/germany_usa_iraq_dc
Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler, in an interview with the German daily Passauer Neue Presse published on Thursday, said however that German aid to Iraq would remain limited to the training of security personnel and humanitarian relief.
"Mrs Merkel will certainly speak in critical terms about Guantanamo when she is in Washington. She has signaled that herself," Erler said.
"At the same time, she will strengthen Germany's commitment to helping stabilize Iraq. We are talking about the areas where Germany is already present -- the training of security staff and humanitarian aid."
Merkel travels to Washington on Thursday on her first U.S. trip since replacing Gerhard Schroeder as Chancellor in November.
She has vowed to improve relations with the superpower, which were shaken when Schroeder clashed with the Bush administration over the Iraq war.
But she has also shown she will not hesitate to speak out on issues which divide Berlin and Washington. In a weekend interview with a German magazine, she said the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorism suspects could not exist indefinitely.
Like Schroeder, Merkel has vowed not to send German troops to Iraq.
Ahead of the visit, German media reported that German spies in Baghdad helped U.S. bombers confirm at least one target during the 2003 Iraq war despite Berlin's assertion it was not involved at all in the conflict.
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060112/ts_nm/germany_usa_iraq_dc