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Merkel mum on Koehler's controversial comments on Afghan mission

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, May 28, IRNA -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not comment on the latest controversial remarks by President Horst Koehler who linked the country's military campaign in Afghanistan to Germany's global business interests, a chancellery official said here Friday.

Talking at a routine weekly press briefing, deputy government spokeswoman Sabine Heimbach made clear that Merkel would neither comment nor take a stance on Koehler's comments. She pointed out Koehler had specified his remarks on the issue and that there was "nothing to add."

Koehler has made press headlines following an interview in which he said that Germany as an export-oriented country would also have to use military force to ensure the opening of vital trade routes throughout the world.

The statements by the German chief executive triggered strong criticism by politicians from the left and right. A prominent expert on the German constitution Ulrich Reuss stressed Koehler's disputed remarks smacked of economic imperialism, saying it reminded him of 19th century British imperialism.

This is the first time that a German political leader has openly tied the Afghan war to the country's global economic interests. Germany's political elite have repeatedly said the Afghan military campaign was merely aimed at defending the nation's security.

Thousands of German troops have been deployed throughout the world since the early 1990s, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, Horn of Africa and the Balkan region.