In Afghanistan and Pakistan tried Guido Westerwelle to have his worst political crisis behind it. About the FDP and the fierce attacks on his person he wants to speak absolutely do not - instead, he is the statesman of the world. But the debate will be so hard to stop. Those who bring money into the Afghan capital, always very welcome.And so were Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his Afghan counterpart, Zalmai Rassoul on Sunday in the gleaming marble-lined hall of the Foreign Ministry in Kabul. Just now the two leaders put their signatures to a large contract in elegant blue leather portfolios. Germany renounces debt by a total of about 17 million U.S.
dollars loan from old East German times, the destitute Kabul no longer has to pay back. Foreign Minister Rassul was more than pleased and thanked me politely smiling for the selfless gesture from Berlin. The images from Kabul, they were quite to the liking of the crippled politician Westerwelle.
The turbo speed, he rushed since the start of the journey through the troubled region, met with head of government of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Smiling faces of foreign statesmen, warm handshakes, waving flags and red carpets - such photos should send a signal, especially to Germany. Back home shaken by massive internal party criticism, calls for his resignation as FDP leader and alarming poll numbers of his party wanted to clarify Westerwelle far from home that it now - is finally out of the crisis - immediately after his campaign speech at the Twelfth Meeting in Stuttgart.
Instead of tolerate discussions about him as party leader, the little subtle message that the Minister now wants to return to work successfully. Such euphoric Westerwelle spoke on the trip over the new NATO concept for peace in Afghanistan and the ambitious timetable, one could believe that that triggered by the U.S.
change in strategy was designed in the German Foreign Ministry. In Kabul Westerwelle even said that he expects for the current difficulty in the government negotiated a new mandate for the Bundeswehr mission, including a large majority of votes of the SPD. For that hope, although at present there is little evidence, but the matter seemed to be.
The foreign policy program reeled Westerwelle routine. Despite the forced landing in thick fog by Lah place in Islamabad and the subsequent hour-long odyssey by minibus in the Pakistani capital, he appeared relaxed, sometimes even with a laugh. Truly sovereign had to flee into foreign policy, however, hardly.
Although Westerwelle converses knowledgeable about the myriad problems in the region. Stressed again and again how well he knew the key players, how often he had already phoned them. But if you really relaxed and confident in themselves forward looking, it probably not as often as he stressed that he is completely relaxed.
The vexed subject taboo FDP FDP was banned from the trip. In recent weeks, Westerwelle was never as massive as in the criticism. Some of his party colleagues beschwn even before the Twelfth Meeting, the Minister must give the chair. Westerwelle wanted to hear it but after the departure on Friday nothing more.
Both the cameras and microphones as well as in the short talks at the dates he just had to have lost not a word about his party and his malaise. So often was also trying to coax him to a few sentences to battle with his liberal, so vehemently blocked from Westerwelle. After all, this was a trip by Foreign Minister and head of the FDP.
The serenity was somewhat spasmodic Westerwelle on the foreign trip seem a little like a production of himself. Who knows the politicians a little bit, aware of its sensitivity to criticism, and his burning ambition, all the information you have in mind. For being the many harsh comments and critical diatribes in recent days would not have read, he knew but a little too much detail in the articles.
The discussion about his person can Westerwelle break with the maneuver than short. In the coming months are to many state elections, the prospects for the FDP look more than bleak. Westerwelle itself is so unpopular now that a number of campaigners in the country to abandon its presence better.
Do the elections at the end actually made with bitter defeats for the FDP, he will have to take responsibility. The mantra of the FDP-rescuer who brought the Liberals back in recent years in many state legislatures and in the end even in the government in Berlin, then finally past. Dangerous foreign policy but also foreign policy threatens the Minister danger.
In recent weeks he had probably also because of his poor poll numbers and more concrete comments on the withdrawal plans of the army than that of the Merkel government can be dear. Much as all NATO member states also want the return of their troops, so fragile is the first small successes in stabilizing the country.
In 2011 although i also want the U.S. begin withdrawing. Whether this works, however, see the military still critical. Westerwelle however reiterated the plan to reduce from the end of 2011, the Bundeswehr contingents, so often that one compares the German voters now back can barely behind this line.
Within the government is also concerned that Westerwelle and his Afghan representative Michael Steiner in the run-up to this autumn could screw in Germany upcoming conference on Afghanistan, the expectations for concrete decisions and sign for a very far off the top. Especially if the critics should stop personally to him.
Steiner and he had cooked up the conference. When finally comes out at the meeting of foreign ministers next nice pictures but only a small stock of achievements by the change in strategy, the federal government would stand disgraced compared with their international partners and the voters easily in Germany.
Before Westerwelle in spite of the pretty pictures from Kabul hard weeks. The political professionals will have to prove on his return to Berlin for three things: • That he can turn things around in the polls again. • That he can discipline his internal party critics. • That he can polish the battered image of the Liberals and his own person in a lightning pace.
About the possible disasters in the forthcoming state elections in any case Guido Westerwelle is not easy to escape to a foreign trip.
- You: Pakistan seeks soft export policy (09/01/2011)
- Germany: pullout from Afghanistan to start in 2011 (16/12/2010)
- Germany: pullout from Afghanistan to start in 2011 (16/12/2010)
- Germany: pullout from Afghanistan to start in 2011 (16/12/2010)
- Germany to set end-2011 start date for Afghan pullout (08/01/2011)
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