Source : Presseurop (English)
In its 2014 budget, the German government is planning to cut spending by €6bn to avoid taking on any new debt. The Ministry of Defence, followed by the Ministry of Transport, will be hardest hit by the belt-tightening measures, at a time when questions are being asked about the scale of Germany’s intervention alongside French forces in Mali.
Source : hurriyetdailynews.com
An Islamic extremist wanted by Germany for allegedly calling for terrorist attacks on Europe has been arrested in Turkey and Berlin is negotiating his extradition, an official said March 22.
Mohamed Mahmoud, 27, was picked up March 19 in the southeastern province of Hatay near the Syrian border, a German security official said on condition of anonymity. He said Germany has already begun preliminary proceedings to have Mahmoud extradited.
“We are very confident we will get him to Germany,” he said.
Mahmoud was jailed in his native Austria in 2007 for being a leader of the Global Islamic Media Front, which creates and distributes terrorist propaganda videos. Among the accusations, police said he threatened both Austria and Germany with attacks if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan.
Salafi imam
Following his release in 2011, Mahmoud moved to Germany and became an imam with the Salafi movement, which has been growing rapidly in the country by attracting both Muslims and converts. They have been under close observation since 2010, but that was stepped up further last year after they clashed with police in Bonn last year at a rally of a far-right party. Mahmoud, who had already been expelled from Germany ahead of the ban, resurfaced in Egypt.
While in Egypt, Mahmoud is also alleged to have produced online German-language videos for the Global Islamic Media Front calling for terrorist attacks in Europe. It was not immediately clear when he left Egypt nor whether he was on his way to Syria when he was arrested in Turkey. Police officials in Ankara and Hatay province said they did not have any information on the arrest. The Austrian Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the arrest but said the man’s identity had not yet been confirmed.
Source : Tehran Times
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday banned three ultra-conservative Salafist groups which the Interior Ministry said wanted to overturn democracy and install a system based on sharia.
The ban, which took effect in the western states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia in the early morning, is the latest step taken by German authorities who have increased surveillance of Salafists.
The ministry said it has banned the organizations “DawaFFM” and “Islamische Audios”, as well as “An-Nussrah”, which is part of the “Millatu Ibrahim” group that was outlawed in June.
Some 20 people were searched and assets belonging to the organizations were seized, said the ministry.
“Salafism, as represented in the associations that were banned today, is incompatible with our free democratic order,” Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement.
“(The groups) aim to change our society in an aggressive, belligerent way so that democracy would be replaced by a Salafist system, and the rule of law replaced by Sharia law.”
Germany is home to roughly 4,000 Salafists. Friedrich said the step was part of efforts by Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government to promote a tolerant and respectful relationship with the large number of peaceful Muslims in Germany.
Source : Xinhua
BERLIN, March. 11 (Xinhua) -- Germany and Europe find China a reliable strategic partner as China's leadership has signalled consistency in pushing forward modernization domestically and continuing its responsible foreign policies on international affairs, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a recently interview with Xinhua.
China's ongoing NPC and CPPCC annual sessions have clearly shown that the country will maintain the consistency of its opening-up policy and take its due responsibility in international politics while safeguarding regional stability, Schroeder said, adding that the two sides shall strive to overcome their differences on some political issues.
As the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's political advisory body, are under way in Beijing, Schroeder said the new leadership have realized the necessity of reforms on threes fronts.
"Firstly, there is need to carry on the opening-up policy, " said Schroeder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, adding that it has been fully noted that economic growth cannot be achieved at the expense of nature.
"Thirdly, they have realized that the widening gap between the rich and the poor shall not be allowed," he said. "Therefore, the Chinese leadership faces enormous tasks and have set to work on them."
Schroeder said he fully agrees with Chinese leadership's focus on earnest implementation of environmental protection standards to achieve sustainable development, adding that the development of the country's western region should continue in order to further narrow the economic gap between the more developed eastern provinces and relatively underdeveloped western region.
The ultimate goal is to foster a stable domestic market by encouraging domestic need, as a lopsided emphasis on export is not enough, he said.
A fundamental shift of mode of economic growth in China can also benefit Germany as there are plenty of opportunities for the two countries to cooperate on environment protection and green energy, he added.
"During my chancellorship, I strove to deepen the relations with China and we established and deepened our strategic partnership," he said. "We should continue strengthening economic exchange for the well-being of our countries."
China and Europe are not competitors against each other, he said, adding that partnership leads to win-win results while trade protectionism brings more harm to German interests than it does to China.
He said Germany welcomes Chinese investors and he believes it is important to finally recognize China's status as a market economy country, adding that trade barriers should be eliminated in the age of global cooperation.
Economic cooperation still enjoys great potential between the two countries, he said, as more Chinese enterprises invest in the German market, including Chinese construction equipment manufacturer Sany Heavy Industry's acquisition of Putzmeister, a German engineering firm.
Besides economic cooperation, Schroeder said he is also happy to see more cultural exchange between Germany and China as more and more Chinese students come to Germany for study, while the same is true for German youths. He mentioned that his daughter also went to China to study.
Commenting on China's foreign policy, Schroeder said China has adopted very responsible foreign policies, which not only contribute to building a stable environment for its own development but also plays a positive role in maintaining global stability.
During the next decade, China shall solve the problems that have emerged with rapid modernization on the domestic front while maintaining responsible foreign policies to further integrate into the international system, Schroeder said, adding that by doing these, China will continue its relations with Germany and Europe as a reliable strategic partner.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Source : Greek Reporter Europe
According to Hurriyet Daily News, a Greek man managed to save three people after being the first to notice a fire that killed eight Turks in Germany on March 10.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said that, “A Greek citizen saw the fire around 4:30 a.m. when it was first sparked and called the police and the fire department. He then stepped into the fire and saved three people, the grandmother and two children,” Bozdağ stated.
The hero, Christos Kiroglou, is the manager of a nightclub located at the back of the building where the blaze occurred. The fire which swept through an apartment building in southwestern Germany, killed seven children and a mother from a Turkish family who had migrated to Backnang, near Stuttgart, from the southeastern Turkish province of Adıyaman, the newspaper said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed his condolences to the families of the victims while calling for a quick and comprehensive investigation over the incident. German police said they were investigating an oven in a flat on the first floor of the former leather factory in the town of Backnang near Stuttgart, according to Agence France-Presse. A fire from a stove is another possible cause for the blaze.
Source : World Bulletin
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul said they consider every possibility on the fire incident in Backnang city of Germany that left eight Turks dead on Sunday. Saying that Turkish officials were undertaking intense efforts to understand what had happened and since there had been incidents of arson previously in Germany, Gul stated they consider every possibility. President Gul said "it was a big sorrow" but added it was early to say something. The bodies of the mother and her 7 children will be sent to Turkey for autopsy. It was not clear where they would be buried. A broken stove or broken electrical wiring were still look like the reason of the fire according to German police officials. Turkey's Ambassador in Berlin, Huseyin Avni Karslioglu said they asked German government to fully investigate the fire. Karslioglu visited the site with the premier of Baden Wurttemberg state, Winfried Kretschman and told press members that despite the deep sorrow, it would not be right to make speculations. He said Turkey's Deputy Premier Bekir Bozdag called him on behalf of Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and he briefed Bozdag on the incident. He said the criminal investigation was under its way and they would wait the result cool headed. On a question regarding the reason of the fire, Karslioglu said the building was formerly a factory and that there were a lot of wires in the house and there was a problem with the electrical system. Karslioglu said the fire erupted at 4:33 a.m. and the fire fighters arrived the site in four minutes. He said the investigation was under its way but a team from Turkey would come for investigation if necessary. Premier Kretschman said the incident was a "disaster" and added they would reach a definite conclusion after the experts would complete their investigation. He said it was so sad that most of the deceased were children and passed condolences to Turkish community. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a written statement that German police officials said there was no indication of a racist element in the incident, but due to former racist attacks the incident should be fully investigated. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said they expected Germany to investigate the fire without leaving any doubts behind. Bozdag told AA correspondent that they got in touch with German government right after the incident and German officials were working on the incident closely. He said Turkish ambassador and consul general were following the development closely and convey Turkish government's messages to German officials He said the family was living in the second floor of a 3-storey building. A Greek national saw the fire and called the police, Bozdag added. The grandmother and two boys at the ages of 10 and 14 were rescued. Saying that the reason of the fire should be brought out immediately, without ignoring any possibilities, Bozdag said they hope it would not turn out to be an arson.
Source : www.hurriyetdailynews.com
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partners Sunday chose a former economy minister as their candidate in national elections in September, as the party battles for its political survival.
The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), which has governed with Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union since 2009, selected Rainer Bruederle, 67, to represent them in the September 22 vote in Europe' top economy.
"People want a strong voice for freedom. The chance is there for us. We should use it and we want to use it," said Bruederle during a 75-minute speech at the party conference in Berlin.
"I know you will all fight with me," he told the 600 delegates, who responded by giving him a five-minute standing ovation.
"Let's go into battle," he shouted, to cheers and applause.
There was no formal vote to elect Bruederle, who was economy minister under Merkel between October 2009 and May 2011, but a show of hands suggested he had considerable backing from the party faithful.
Bruederle has a tough scrap ahead of him, as the party struggles to turn around its fortunes following years of internal bickering and plunging support.
With now Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle as candidate, the FDP was the surprise package in the 2009 elections, polling 14.6 percent and giving Merkel the combined votes needed to form a viable government.
But following a failure to push through promised tax cuts and a brief flirtation with a more eurosceptic line, supporters left in droves and the party suffered a series of catastrophic regional election defeats.
In recent polls, the FDP has consistently failed to score the five percent required to win seats in the Bundestag lower house of parliament and would be cast into political oblivion if this performance were repeated in September.
The latest survey, published on Sunday by polling institute Emnid for the Bild am Sonntag weekly, put the FDP at four percent.
The election reverses took their poll on the party's leaders with Westerwelle stepping down as party head, to be replaced by Philipp Roesler, currently economy minister and vice-chancellor in Merkel's cabinet.
But the 40-year-old Vietnam-born politician also came under heavy fire with the party languishing in the polls and eventually stepped aside as the FDP chancellor candidate although remaining party head.
Roesler was re-elected party leader on Saturday with 85.7 percent of the vote.
The FDP's troubles are also a headache for Merkel.
She has repeatedly stated that she wants to continue in government with the FDP but their weakness may yet force her to negotiate with other parties to form a workable coalition.
Both Merkel and her party remain highly popular in Germany and polls show her conservatives enjoy a sizeable lead over the nearest rivals, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).
However, if the FDP is unable to turn its fortunes around, analysts say she could yet be forced into another so-called "Grand Coalition" with the SPD, like that which governed Germany between 2005 and 2009.
Earlier this year, Bruederle touched off a debate about sexism in Germany when a 29-year-old female reporter wrote that he leered at her breasts and told her, "you could also fill out a dirndl," Bavaria's low-cut dress for women.
Source : http://www.turkishweekly
Trabzon governor: "Germany will use Trabzon port for its military shipment from Afghanistan for 2.5 years"
ANKARA -- Recep Kizilcik, governor of Turkey's northern city of Trabzon, has said, "German military equipment will be dispatched from Afghanistan to Germany via Trabzon for 2.5 years."
German troops, who have been deployed with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan have chosen Trabzon as the center for military shipment, Kizilcik told AA on Friday.
Kizilcik stated that he expected the shipment to become dens after April 1 and emphasized that they had already taken every necessary measure including the accommodation and the parking area for vehicles of the German soldiers.
Meanwhile, sources said each military vehicle and cargo stuf of the German army would be reverted to Trabzon port from the Trabzon airport and after the classification of the military stuff, they would be transported to Germany by sea.
Source : defensenews.com
onn — All German Tiger helicopters have been grounded following the March 4 crash of one of the Army Air Corps’ most modern Tiger attack helicopters during a training mission near Ettal in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany.
Both pilots were only slightly injured and could leave the helicopter without assistance. According to the military, they are under observation in a military hospital. There were no other injuries. The aircraft was not armed, but was destroyed in the accident.
Pilots and helicopters were stationed at the attack helicopter regiment 36 in Fritzlar in the state of Hesse in the middle of Germany.
“The investigations are ongoing” a spokesman of the Bundeswehr said. “The reason for this crash is still completely unknown.”
It is also not clear how long these investigations will take and when the helicopters will be flying again.
The helicopter involved in the crash was the most modern version. These Afghanistan stabilization German Army rapid deployment (ASGARD) aircraft are equipped with additional ballistic protection, blade protection kits, sand filters and improved defensive equipment. The armament consists of 12.7mm gun pods, 19x70mm unguided rockets and the HOT anti- tank missile. Currently, Germany has four aircraft based in Mazar- e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.
Germany plans to procure 40 Tigers, including 12 ASGARD. Currently, the military owns 29 aircrafts of which 13 are already stationed in Fritzlar.
Source : www.hurriyetdailynews.com
German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere has admitted that conditions could be better for Bundeswehr troops stationed in Kahramanmaraş city of Turkey, after a critical report was published on the situation.
De Maiziere made the comments after a report by Germany’s special commissioner for the armed forces, Hellmut Königshaus, which said cooperation between the German and Turkish contingents was “perceived mainly as a problem.”
The Königshaus’ report claimed that meals were monotonous and that usually there was only cold food. Toilets were described as “filthy,” most of them having no flush. The bodies of dead dogs, shot by the Turkish soldiers, had been left to decompose on the site. Soldiers’ post was being held back so that it did not reach them for days, or even weeks, according to the report, which also added that soldiers were forced to exchange euros at poor rates in currency exchange offices.
De Maiziere said he had noted that there were issues to address while on a visit to the site where German soldiers are deployed. “Even though I tend to be shown the better side of how things are, I also perceived that there were certain problems,” de Maiziere told the German daily Bild. He stressed the armed forces first had to ensure that they could fulfill their mission, but at present the most important aspect was to improve troop conditions.
He said Turkey had gone to great lengths to provide good accommodation, adding that work on new quarters was being completed. “When this new accommodation is ready, a lot of things will change when it comes to the issues that have been brought up,” he said. He added Turkish officials had reprimanded German soldiers for contact with their Turkish counterparts. One German female soldier was allegedly pushed by a Turkish general during a visit by de Maiziere to the base. She later complained of bruising.
