By Refusing Gitmo Prisoners, Germany’s Making a Big Mistake: Die Zeit, Germany

With its ‘petulant’ attitude toward accepting Guantanamo detainees who are presumed innocent, is German Chancellor Merkel missing a golden opportunity to get into President Obama’s good graces?

For Germany’s Die Zeit, Martin Klingst writes in part:

“With a bit of goodwill from the Chancellery and Interior Ministry – America’s President would be beside himself with gratitude. A positive wink from Berlin would strengthen his position. Obama is now in urgent need of help with his plan to shut the prison camp by January 20th, 2010. But instead, he has met with nothing but resistance on every turn – and not just at home, but just about everywhere on earth. ‘You made your own bed, now lie in it,’ is the scornful rejoinder.”

“Germany is making a serious mistake, because a little more solidarity with the United States would pay off quickly. Particularly on issues where the federal government is looking for American concessions: climate protection, the anti-missile shield, and so on. At last, Germany has the U.S. president it always wanted: peace loving, a listener, emphatic and cooperative. But now it leaves him in the lurch.”

By Martin Klingst

Translated By Ulf Behncke

June 12, 2009

Germany – Die Zeit – Original Article (German)

Washington: It’s still true: The relationship between Germany and America is, by and large, good. Barack Obama appreciates the cool intellect of the chancellor. And the government in Berlin remains one of the main allies of the United States.

And yet with its petulant attitude on the matter of admitting Guantánamo detainees, the federal government is missing a tremendous opportunity. With a bit of goodwill from the Chancellery and Interior Ministry – America’s President would be beside himself with gratitude. A positive wink from Berlin would strengthen his position. Obama is now in urgent need of help with his plan to shut the prison camp by January 20th, 2010. But instead, he has met with nothing but resistance on every turn – and not just at home, but just about everywhere on earth. ‘You made your own bed, now lie in it,’ is the scornful rejoinder.

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