Germany’s help in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan is of immense importance, the Prime Minister said following talks with Chancellor Schroeder last night.
Read the press conference below
Chancellor Schroeder:
Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. As you may easily imagine, I am very pleased indeed about yet another opportunity to welcome Prime Minister Tony Blair to Berlin in Germany. He is a personal friend, and also if I may say a friend of Germany’s. So this is one of the meetings that by now we can even call a regular meeting, either taking place in London or over here. This time it was over here.
We addressed a host of questions. We began with the situation within Europe, we talked about all the pending questions before the up-coming European Spring Summit. We then turned to even more international questions. We talked about the situation in Afghanistan. We thought about things that we were conjointly going to do over there and that each of us had to shoulder individually.
Of course when we addressed the European host of questions, as I just said, the spring summit was very much the focus of our thinking and talking. As you know, we are very strongly committed to European industrial policy. We have undertaken several motions to that effect already. It is a vested interest for both of us to support the competitiveness of Europe as a whole, but obviously also the competitive positions of each of our countries individually too. We very much have agreed quite a few initiatives to that effect already, we have presented those initiatives to the Commission and we very much hope that things are going to gather momentum in the process of the now up-coming summit, because we also hope that then subsequent investment, and more investment, will be placed into research and development.
After Afghanistan, we certainly are of the opinion that we are on a good way when it comes to this, it is certainly not a way without problems, we all know that too, but certainly there was strong consensus between us that it was crucial to achieve a process of stabilisation for this country, because only with a degree of stabilisation economic progress for the country can be facilitated. We obviously talked about the future role that NATO can play, and will play. Obviously NATO’s role will be an important one in Afghanistan too.
I also told the Prime Minister that Germany had a strong interest in continuing a sustainable commitment to Afghanistan, because we really would like to continue our fight, which we also see as a fight against international terrorism in Afghanistan.
Another thing that we think is so crucial, and why Afghanistan is so crucial, is that we must make it obvious to the people in that part of the world that the return into the international community of states does pay off for those who take that decision, and that there is a dividend that will be paid to them for doing so. The Prime Minister very much agreed with me on this aspect.
Of course we also then went in and addressed the subject of Iraq as well. We both very much are in agreement that it does not make sense whatsoever to dig into historic reasonings as to who wanted, or didn’t want what, when it came to Iraq. That is all a past argument. We very much are agreed that we want to strongly help the process of democratisation along for that country. We really would like to see the reconstruction of the country gathering momentum and the whole project turning into a success, and I had the pleasure of sharing with the Prime Minister that Germany is ready here too to make a contribution.
Prime Minister:
Thank you very much Gerhard. First of all can I say how pleased I am to be back here in Germany and to see Chancellor Schroeder and have another extremely constructive and I hope productive conversation on all the issues that we have been discussing, and he has just outlined to you, and I don’t think I need to add a very great deal to it. Can I say that obviously we did discuss the European Summit in March and the issues to do with the European Constitution, and we will keep working away at those obviously. And I would emphasise - as the Chancellor did - the importance of European industry and the need to make sure that the European economy is strong, because that delivers jobs and prosperity for our people. On Afghanistan, I would just like again to express my thanks to Chancellor Schroeder and to the German people for the contribution Germany is making in Afghanistan, which is of immense importance to that country and therefore to the stability of that region and of the world. And again in relation to Iraq, whatever the different positions of our country in relation to the conflict, I think everyone wants to see Iraq as a stable, a democratic, a prosperous country, for the same reasons as Afghanistan, because of the contribution that makes, not just to the life of the people there but obviously of course to the stability and security of the region and the wider world.
Once again let me thank you, Gerhard, very much for inviting me here, and as ever it has been a pleasure to be with you.
Question:
Prime Minister, I would like to ask you how you would answer your critics who say that in particular next week’s meeting with the British, French and Germans, represents some sort of effort to create a new sort of ruling triumvirate in the heart of the EU to set the terms that the rest of Europe needs to follow, in particular the Italians are very concerned about that. And also Michael Howard has been speaking in Berlin tonight about a live and let live Europe in which some countries can forge ahead with integration, but others needn’t be dragged along kicking and screaming, as he put it, and that differences over the degree of integration shouldn’t be a cause for animosity. Would you agree with that?
Prime Minister:
Well on the second, I haven’t read the speech, so I don’t think I can comment on it. On the first part, I think it is important to realise that this is not about trying to create some directoire in Europe at all, but we showed over the question of European defence, where there were differences, that by working together we could resolve those differences. What has happened recently in Iran, as a result of the intervention of the German Foreign Minister, the French Foreign Minister, the British Foreign Minister, has been very important and productive for not just Europe but for the world. And so I think it is important that we try and work at these issues together, and that is not in any sense at all to exclude other countries. And in a Europe of 25 I think there will inevitably be attempts to make sure that we can resolve issues and resolve them not simply always operating at 25, but also trying to work at these issues amongst ourselves, and that really is all that it is about and I think it is important that people understand that.
Question:
Does the United Kingdom have any expectation on Germany for the replacement of troops in Iraq, or do you join the position that Germany is already making a big contribution in Afghanistan and that is fair enough?
Prime Minister:
I think, if you forgive me, that any commitment by Germany has got to be a matter for Germany and for the German government. But I would just say this to you, that the commitment of Germany in Afghanistan has been of huge importance, to ourselves, to the United States, to all our allies, because that is a country that was the centre of the Taliban and international terrorism. And the fact of the German contribution is making a big, big difference to that country, and really in relation to Iraq that is very much a matter for Germany and for the German government. But I am pleased obviously that within the United Nations we have been co-operating well diplomatically, that has been important too.
Question:
Prime Minister, you mentioned Iran. There are signs perhaps today that Iran is not meeting the commitments that Germany, Britain and France won last year. Both of you, do you see any need to increase the pressure on Iran, either politically or economically, to make sure it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons?
Prime Minister:
The good thing about the situation we helped to bring about is that the International Economic Agency are now committed in Iran, and will produce a report I think in March, and that is a report that can go through all these issues. And I think probably, rather than me comment at this stage, we should wait until they make their report then, and they as the international commission that is looking at these things are best placed to do that.
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