On Sunday, March 1, as he publicly speaks for the first time about the war in Iran, Friedrich Merz refrains from explicitly naming a “violation of international law.”
The chancellor prefers to legitimize the intervention, stating that “the condemnation of violations of law by Iran and the extensive sets of sanctions have had little impact in recent years,” as reported by the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel. This has provoked the anger of the vice-chancellor, Lars Klingbeil, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who denounced a different speech from what the coalition leaders had agreed upon.
The CDU chancellor later stated that “it is not in our interest to enter into an endless war.” Then, on March 10, that Germany has “no intention of harming the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or economic viability of Iran.” These statements seem to have calmed internal tensions, notes the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. But at the European level, Merz is now facing discontent from his allies.
Context:
– Friedrich Merz speaking about the war in Iran and avoiding naming a violation of international law. – Chancellor legitimizing the intervention in Iran and facing criticism from some political figures for his specific choice of words.
Fact Check:
– Accurate reporting of Friedrich Merz’s statements and the reactions from political figures like Lars Klingbeil and SPD.
Betrayal towards an ally
“The chancellor sends texts and makes calls, but if you’re Spanish, it’s radio silence.” Since the meeting between Friedrich Merz and Donald Trump on March 3, “the relations between Madrid and Berlin are icy,” according to the weekly magazine Der Spiegel. This is because the American president openly criticized the UK and Spain for refusing US access to their air bases in the war against Iran. Trump even went so far as to label Spain as a “deplorable ally.”
Instead of defending Madrid, Friedrich Merz ended up “echoing Trump’s criticisms, who reproached [NATO countries] for their weak defense spending,” as reported by the German weekly. Although the chancellor later softened his remarks, explaining to Trump that “an economic war against Spain would be a war against the entire EU,” the damage was done.
For Spain, Germany’s stance has just shown it to be a “vassal” of the United States, as highlighted by the British newspaper The Times. Merz has “embarrassed one of the countries whose population is among the most pro-European,” laments Steffen Lüdke in the columns of Spiegel, while at the same time rekindling “old wounds.”
Context:
– Friedrich Merz facing criticism for echoing Donald Trump’s criticisms against NATO allies like Spain. – Political fallout due to differences in stance towards the United States and its allies.
The continuity of a controversial foreign policy
“What has happened?” asks Jan Opielka in the Berliner Zeitung. Referring to the millions of people who gathered from Barcelona to Berlin in 2003 to denounce the US and UK-led war against Iraq without UN authorization, he recalls that at the time, “the [German] government publicly opposed it.”
“The debacle of German foreign policy continues,” mourns Velten Schäfer in the left-wing weekly Der Freitag. A sentiment shared by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, referring to “the culmination of a process that has unfortunately been burying the concept of international law for months.” The newspaper recalls that last summer, Merz described Israeli strikes on the Iranian nuclear program as “dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us.”
This attitude may “weaken the credibility” of the chancellor, warns international law expert Mehrdad Payandeh in the economic newspaper Handelsblatt, and ultimately undermine a divided Europe in the long run.
