Germany will Participate in NATO Operations Against Iraq

German soldiers will indeed take part in NATO operations in the event of a war against Iraq, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder asserted in a television interview on Wednesday. "Germany will fulfill its obligations towards the alliance...and that naturally also means protecting alliance territory," he emphasized.

The chancellor was responding to dissent within the governing Social Democratic (SPD) and Green parties. Angelika Beer, the newly elected leader of the Green Party, insists that Germany's constitution requires it to refuse all support for a war against Iraq. The constitution forbids Germany from taking part in a military offensive.

A broken promise?

During Schröder's recent re-election campaign he declared that Germany would not take part in a war on Iraq, whether or not the UN issues a mandate for an attack. Now, it seems Schröder will indeed commit Germany to military involvement in Iraq, even if the commitment is only passive.

In the interview on Wednesday the chancellor said he had already spoken with Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (Green) about his position and downplayed Beer's power: "Ms. Beer will not have to make the decision…This is an executive decision of the government and it will be made exactly as I have set out."

Referring to the use of airspace and transportation of troops through Germany, Schröder stressed that Germany would not restrict its alliance partners' movements.

AWACS fleet in Germany

At NATO headquarters on Dec. 4, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz suggested that the alliance could send AWACS planes to support American actions.

The NATO fleet of 17 AWACS reconnaissance planes is stationed in Geilenkirchen, Germany. The planes are manned by a multinational crew from 11 countries, nearly one-third of which is German.

In the event of a war against Iraq the AWACS are likely to be used to monitor Turkish airspace.