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Schroeder determined on China arms

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gestures during a news conference of the European head of states summit in Brussels in this file photo from March 23. PHOTO: EPA

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, faced with a surge of opposition in parliament to his proposal to lift the arms embargo on China, asserted in an interview published on Thursday in Die Zeit that he had the sole authority to speak for Germany on the issue, whatever parliament might say.

"It says in the Constitution that foreign policy is made by the federal government," Schroeder said. "I treat every parliamentary vote seriously, but the constitutional situation is very clear."

Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac have been the leading advocates for lifting the arms embargo, which would have to be approved by the EU as a whole. The idea is opposed by the US and several European countries, and it seems extremely unlikely that it will be adopted by the group anytime soon.

Thus there is little that Schroeder can do on a practical level. His comments seemed to be intended to assert his authority in the minds of the public at a time when he seems to be losing a political battle at home.

Unlike Chirac, whose position has occasioned no particular protest, Schroeder has run into such a storm of opposition that it is difficult to find anybody, even in his own party, who supports him. This has particularly been the case since China approved legislation authorizing the use of military force if Taiwan declares independence.

Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has been silent on the issue. The common assumption is that Fischer, a member of the liberal Green Party, which strongly opposes lifting the embargo, is caught between his role in the government and his party affiliation. If he publicly agrees with Schroeder, he would put himself into conflict with the Greens, but if he agrees with the Greens, he would be in public opposition to the chancellor.

Schroeder seems convinced that the embargo is a needless provocation to China at a time of economic stagnation in Germany. But he himself has portrayed the lifting of the embargo as a largely symbolic act that would not be followed by actual arms sales.

Some commentators see the issue as a way for Germany and France to advance Chirac's notion of multipolarity by striking a pose of independence from the US. But German public reaction shows its reluctance to support French efforts to move Europe away from the trans-Atlantic alliance.

"This can't be about promoting trade," Michael Stuermer, a commentator in Die Welt, wrote on Thursday, responding to Schroeder's interview. "Subconsciously or not, it's about a confrontation with the United States. The Germans will pay a high price for such gestures."
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