Schröder and Bush Set To Bury the Hatchet

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is ostensibly traveling to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly and celebrate the 30th anniversary of German U.N. membership, but few observers doubt that the most important part of his three-day trip will be a 30 minute meeting with U.S. President George Bush on Wednesday.

The encounter will be the first time the two leaders have held bilateral talks since they fell out over the U.S.-led war to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. As one of the most vocal critics of the war, Schröder has long been considered a persona non grata for Bush.

Bush is said to have been not only angered by Schröder’s decision to use anti-war rhetoric to boost his flagging reelection campaign last year, but also by comments from a later sacked German cabinet member that said Bush was using foreign conflicts to distract from domestic problems just as Adolph Hitler did.

Thawing relations

But there have been increasing signs of a thaw in German-American relations in recent weeks and the meeting in New York will underline that Bush is perhaps ready to put his differences with Schröder aside in order to improve ties between the two countries.

In an interview with Fox News on Monday evening Bush expressed understanding for Germany’s anti-war position and the pacifism that grew out of the country’s experiences in World War II. He said he looked forward to “substantive talks” with Schröder and also praised Germany’s “active role” in Afghanistan. “I appreciate this support,” Bush said.

As the U.S. costs and casualties in postwar Iraq continue to mount, Bush has been compelled to return to the United Nations in order to seek international help in stabilizing the country. He is hoping the U.N. Security Council will agree to a new resolution that would encourage more nations to send peacekeepers.

Schröder, who is particularly keen to end the bad blood with the grudge-holding Texan, is likely hoping to mediate between Bush and other war opponents including French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After talking with Bush, Schröder will meet with the French and Russian leaders later on Wednesday in New York.

As Schröder’s left Berlin on Monday, a German government official was at pains to say the trilateral summit was not an attempt to form renewed opposition to Washington. “It’s definitely not signaling an opposing axis to the cooperation with the USA,” the official told reporters being briefed on the chancellor’s trip. “Germany certainly doesn’t see itself as an opposing pole to the United States.”

And while hosting a three-way summit with France and Britain in Berlin over the weekend, Schröder appeared to take the middle ground between Chirac and staunch U.S. ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In an editorial published in the New York Times on Friday, Schröder said Germany was prepared to share the burden in Iraq. “It is true that Germany and the United States disagreed on how best to deal with Saddam Hussein's regime. There is no point in continuing this debate,” Schröder wrote. “We should now look toward the future. We must work together to win the peace.”

Pushing for a stronger U.N. role

But Schröder’s desire to make amends with Bush doesn’t mean he will likely back away from German and French demands for a stronger role for the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq. Both countries are pushing for a speedy transition from U.S. occupation to Iraqi sovereignty, but Washington has so far dismissed a quick transfer of power as unrealistic.

Schröder has also made clear the United States cannot expect Berlin to send troops to help stabilize Iraq, since the German Bundeswehr is already pushed to the limit with thousands of soldiers on peacekeeping duty in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Instead, Berlin has offered to help train Iraqi policemen and take part in other reconstruction projects.

“Germany is willing to provide humanitarian aid, to assist in the civilian and economic reconstruction of Iraq and to train Iraqi security forces,” Schröder wrote in the New York Times.

After meeting Bush, Schröder will also address the U.N. General Assembly in a 15 minute speech. It will be the first speech from a German chancellor to the world body since Willy Brandt spoke in 1973.

Besides reaffirming Germany’s strong backing of the United Nations and its belief in multilateralism to solve international conflicts, Schröder is likely to propose revamping the U.N. Security Council to make it more relevant to the challenges of the 21st century. Such changes could include Berlin’s goal of attaining a permanent German seat on the Council.