In the first speech by a German chancellor to the Knesset, Angela Merkel earned Israel's respect in March by insisting that Iran's nuclear program must be stopped and that, if necessary, "Germany will push for further sanctions."
Oh, really? It now turns out that only a month earlier, Germany's Export Control Office had given the green light for a €100 million ($157 million) gas deal with Iran. Business interests, it seems, trump any proclaimed concerns for Israel's security.
Berlin's refusal to use its considerable economic leverage over Tehran puts it at odds not only with Washington but increasingly with its European partners in London and Paris. Following February's export approval, SPG Steiner-Prematechnik-Gastec will build three plants that turn gas to liquid fuels in the Islamic Republic, the Siegener Zeitung reported last week. Ms. Merkel's assurance that Israel's security is "nonnegotiable" is further put in doubt by the fact that her party colleague, Hartmut Schauerte, had been pushing the Export Control Office to speed up the process. - The Wall Street Journal
This is how 'evil' regimes keep going. Sure they have Russia and China to back them up, but they still need advance technology from the west. And it is the ever 'useful idiots' who are ready to trade international security for a couple of dollars. For Iraq, it was France for a large part through oil-for-food. For Iran, they have Germany. They probably would have France to assist as well if it were not for the change in Government there. As for Germany, their economic interests have long corrupted their stance as negotiator for the West as I mentioned back in 2005:
The E.U.3 have another problem. They are all working to get more access to Iran for French, German, and British businesses. It must be hard to push the Iranians one minute on the nuclear issue and the next minute ask for access to more business opportunities. Could the negotiators the US is depending on compromise themselves any more than they already have? - FFI
Even worse, it almost looks like Germany is taking advantage of the push to isolate Iran to advance their own business opportunities, taking advantage of the fact that other markets are closed to the Iranian regime. This is exactly what the Soviet Union did for Nazi Germany until the Nazis blindsided them. Now the Germans are setting themselves up for defeat again before the first shot is even fired. Unfortunately, we are going to suffer for their stupidity if nobody steps forward to stop Iran's nuclear program.
Go read my original post (here) concerning a number of mixed signals that Germany has been sending out over the years.
Link:
Berlin ♥ Iran - the Wall Street Journal
PREVIOUS:
Whose Side is Germany On? - FFI - 11 Jan 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment