.German president Horst Köhler quits over Afghanistan gaffe
Germany's president, Horst Köhler, resigned without warning today, after intense criticism of remarks in which he suggested military deployments were central to the country's economic interests.
Köhler's departure leaves a vacuum that will only add to Angela Merkel's growing political woes, amid criticism over a lack of decisive leadership, and a four-year low rating for her government in opinion polls.
Köhler, 67, was accused of advocating a form of "gunboat policy" after saying that a large economic power like Germany, with its significant global trading interests, must be willing to deploy its military abroad.
Though a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), he has previously managed to stay out of the political fray.
In a radio interview given on his return from a tour of German military bases in Afghanistan earlier this month, Köhler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund, said that the largely pacifist German public was finally coming to terms with the concept that their country could no longer avoid involvement in military missions, which helped "protect our interests, for example, free trade routes, or to prevent regional instability, which might certainly have a negative effect on our trade, jobs and income".
The remarks were seized upon by the German left, who accused Köhler of supporting a type of "gunboat diplomacy" and of betraying the thousands of German soldiers who are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
Jürgen Trittin, the leader of the Greens, said Köhler's comments were inconsistent with Germany's constitution and he accused the president of being a "loose rhetorical cannon".
Members of Merkel's centre-right coalition government accused him of a careless choice of words.
Ruprecht Polenz, the CDU's foreign policy spokesman, said: "It was an unfortunate formulation, to put it mildly".
Köhler's office said his comments had been misinterpreted. Even though the radio journalist's question had been about Afghanistan, the president had not been referring to Afghanistan in his reply, but to the deployment of German military to the Indian Ocean to help keep shipping lanes free of Somalian pirates.
Announcing his resignation at the presidential palace, Bellevue, in Berlin, he appeared flanked by his wife, Eva Luise, and looked ashen-faced and sometimes close to tears.
Köhler said he felt his office had not been afforded the respect it deserved, and expressed his regret "that my comments on an important and difficult question for our nation were able to lead to misunderstandings".
Köhler's decision marked the first time in post-war German history that a president has resigned with immediate effect. An election for a new president is due to take place within the next month.
Merkel said she "deeply regretted" Köhler's resignation, and admitted it had come as a huge surprise to her.
"I tried to persuade him to change his mind, but that wasn't possible," she said, adding that Köhler had won the love and respect of the German people largely because of his talent for "thinking outside the box". She would miss the former banker's advice over financial issues in particular, especially at a time of economic crisis.
Denis MacShane, the former Europe minister and Labour MP for Rotherham, said Köhler had fallen victim to those who still saw Germany as a "post-1945 dwarf orphan of world politics".
He added that Köhler had done nothing more than "express the self-evident truth that German military power was now an expression of German national interests".
Guardian
Köhler's departure leaves a vacuum that will only add to Angela Merkel's growing political woes, amid criticism over a lack of decisive leadership, and a four-year low rating for her government in opinion polls.
Köhler, 67, was accused of advocating a form of "gunboat policy" after saying that a large economic power like Germany, with its significant global trading interests, must be willing to deploy its military abroad.
Though a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), he has previously managed to stay out of the political fray.
In a radio interview given on his return from a tour of German military bases in Afghanistan earlier this month, Köhler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund, said that the largely pacifist German public was finally coming to terms with the concept that their country could no longer avoid involvement in military missions, which helped "protect our interests, for example, free trade routes, or to prevent regional instability, which might certainly have a negative effect on our trade, jobs and income".
The remarks were seized upon by the German left, who accused Köhler of supporting a type of "gunboat diplomacy" and of betraying the thousands of German soldiers who are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
Jürgen Trittin, the leader of the Greens, said Köhler's comments were inconsistent with Germany's constitution and he accused the president of being a "loose rhetorical cannon".
Members of Merkel's centre-right coalition government accused him of a careless choice of words.
Ruprecht Polenz, the CDU's foreign policy spokesman, said: "It was an unfortunate formulation, to put it mildly".
Köhler's office said his comments had been misinterpreted. Even though the radio journalist's question had been about Afghanistan, the president had not been referring to Afghanistan in his reply, but to the deployment of German military to the Indian Ocean to help keep shipping lanes free of Somalian pirates.
Announcing his resignation at the presidential palace, Bellevue, in Berlin, he appeared flanked by his wife, Eva Luise, and looked ashen-faced and sometimes close to tears.
Köhler said he felt his office had not been afforded the respect it deserved, and expressed his regret "that my comments on an important and difficult question for our nation were able to lead to misunderstandings".
Köhler's decision marked the first time in post-war German history that a president has resigned with immediate effect. An election for a new president is due to take place within the next month.
Merkel said she "deeply regretted" Köhler's resignation, and admitted it had come as a huge surprise to her.
"I tried to persuade him to change his mind, but that wasn't possible," she said, adding that Köhler had won the love and respect of the German people largely because of his talent for "thinking outside the box". She would miss the former banker's advice over financial issues in particular, especially at a time of economic crisis.
Denis MacShane, the former Europe minister and Labour MP for Rotherham, said Köhler had fallen victim to those who still saw Germany as a "post-1945 dwarf orphan of world politics".
He added that Köhler had done nothing more than "express the self-evident truth that German military power was now an expression of German national interests".
Guardian
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