Foreign Ministry names new German-American relations coordinator

Opposition parliamentarian Hans-Ulrich Klose has been named as the new coordinator for German-American cooperation, along with two other new appointments made by the Foreign Ministry.

Klose, of the Social Democratic Party, has represented a district of the city-state of Hamburg in parliament since 1983, and has chaired the German-American Relations Committee since 2003.

Klose told Deutsche Welle he did not foresee any conflict over his membership of an opposition party.

"I think I was nominated because I've been involved with transatlantic relations for decades," he said. "I will continue being a member of parliament, and that gives me to some extent a position of independence."

In addition to the new transatlantic coordinator, the ministry also named Michael Steiner, current ambassador to Italy, as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Liberal Free Democrat politician Markus Loening is to become the new human rights commissioner.

Foreign Ministry officials said the three new appointees have met with Chancellor Angela Merkel and will be approved by the cabinet on March 31.

Nuclear weapons removal

Klose said while Germany had been at the center of the Cold War conflict, its strategic importance to the United States had declined as the US moved its focus more towards Asia and the Middle East.

Klose says removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Germany should be a high priority

"We have to work on transatlantic relations," he said. "It's not a given that they'll continue the same way as before."

Chancellor Merkel is scheduled to visit Washington in April, and the removal of nuclear weapons stationed on German soil should be a high priority of discussion, Klose said.

"So far (tactical nuclear weapons) have not been in the game, we are talking only about strategic arms," he said. "But from a European point of view, tactical nuclear weapons are as important as the others."

A decade of ups and downs

Karsten Voigt, also a Social Democrat, held the post of coordinator since 1999. “I ended my contract the day after the German election last September to give the new government a chance to reorganize its personnel,” he said.

"I am now in the world of think tanks, and I try to become respected as a type of elder statesman who gives advice but is no longer in command," he told Deutsche Welle. "I thought I should do something new after 11 years."

Voigt's tenure at the Foreign Ministry saw big changes in German-American relations. Ties were close after the attacks on Washington and New York on September 11, 2001, but the situation changed when President George W. Bush decided to invade Iraq.

Voigt held the position for nearly 11 years

"It was a very tough and complicated period because Germany was not only not taking part in the military activity in Iraq, but was adamantly against the explanation (for the war) given by President Bush," the former coordinator said.

German-American relations have largely improved since then, especially after the election of Barack Obama, Voigt said. But while the two countries have cooperated through the NATO mission in Afghanistan and on policy toward Iran, their relationship is still changing.

"We are now asked to become an exporter of security and stability to other parts of the world," he said. "This is something new for Germans, and this is something that our neighbors - but also especially the United States - are demanding."

Economic cooperation

Josef Braml, a transatlantic expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said the economic ties between the United States and Germany have also declined, in part due to protectionism brought on by the economic crisis.

"I'm afraid American consumption will continue to decline," he said. "So Germany will need another locomotive to get its house in order. We cannot just export our way out."

Braml added that the United States' shift towards Asia and the Middle East is both economic and strategic: China has provided billions in credit and the situations in Iran and Afghanistan pose serious security threats.

"I think Obama made it clear that Germany and Europe are only relevant when they can contribute to sharing America's global burden," he said. "Germany shouldn't be astonished that America is looking at where it has most of its problems."

Author: Andrew Bowen
Editor: Susan Houlton