This, however, doesn’t seem like the perfect time to make such a request; on one hand, US has lost confidence to confront Iran one-to-one and is seeking an international consensus over the issue; Britain, on the other hand, had a passive reaction to the seizure of its ships by the Islamic Republic; in fact, Britain’s only major reaction was taking part in a conference in the headquarters of American forces in Florida and announcing that the problems in the strait of Hormuz is a common issue for both Britain and the US.
Mike Pompeo also announced that Britain should look after of its ships on its own.
German officials also reacted to the request of the US and Britain for starting a military coalition to control the shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
German Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will not participate in US coalition for safeguarding shipping in the Persian Gulf and added that Germany’s stance on this subject has not changed and its policy has always been clear. He also added that forming a military coalition is a hasty decision and it means jumping ahead in response to the current issues.
Heiko Maas, German minister for Foreign Affairs also announced that Germany, Britain, and France are not going to follow US strategy for creating a military coalition; however, the three countries are in close contact to reduce the tensions and find a diplomatic solution for the problems in the Persian Gulf.
Most other German representatives and politicians also believe that taking any military action out of the framework of the “European mission” is not a good decision and will only fuel the tensions in the region. However, they don’t rule out the possibility of German joining an international coalition that would safeguard free shipping in the Persian Gulf without causing any military confrontation.
Amid these opinions, Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in German Parliament has voiced a more aggressive response, saying that the capture of a British ship by Iran was “unbearable” adding that ran’s dominance over the strait of Hormuz will be a disaster.
Rottgen believe that the seizure of British ship has threatened the interests and security of Germany and Europe and is a violation of the international laws for free shipping. He thinks that proper measures are not taken, the problems will be targeted at Europe, and it is Europe who has to face the consequences.
In this interview, Rottgen says that the incidents in the Persian Gulf over the last couple of months have mesmerized Europe and has caused disagreements between the US and Europe about the best policy to take with Iran.
An important question here is why Germany is looking for a European consensus in dealing with Iran, even though it claims to have no disagreement with the US whatsoever.
In fact, history has already answered this question. Germany which could not reach its goals over the Second World War and Germanize the Europe is now trying to Europeanize the Germany.
On the day of reunification of western and eastern Germany, one of the most prominent German politicians had said that this day was the actual end of the Second World War.
Now, years after the end of the Second World War, Germany is a big economic power in Europe, it leads over the European Commission and is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. German aims to compensate for all its losses over the Second World War, a war that it believes was initially caused by the US and Britain.
With support of European Union and other countries, German has now placed the Green continent against Britain which is leaving the European Union. Germany is now asking the Europeans if they are willing to join an international coalition or even a war for supporting Britain’s interests, a country that has a long dark history of colonizing other countries to draw its own benefits.
Is Europe ready to give European support for the seizure of a British ship?
If a referendum was held in Europe, would people agree to pay for the adventures that Britain and US embarked on, in regions far from their own countries?
If a European drone was captured or a European ship was seized, would Britain or the US put their own benefits aside and join European coalitions?
It almost seems like Germany wants Britain and the US payback for what they did in the past.
Germany’s stance has not only exacerbated Brexit crisis and the issue of ships, but it has also put Europe against Britain’s current administration and Boris Johnson. The consequences of this situation will soon be seen in Ireland and Scotland and will definitely affect Britain’s relations with Ireland as the two countries will be separated by new borders after Brexit.
Germany is also well aware that Trump has no respect for European countries and has no regards for Europe’s security, so why Germany should send troops to the Persian Gulf to support Americans’ interests?
The question is which German political or security division will now give the permission to join US coalition? If German joins the coalition, US will lead the military missions and German will not be in control, it will not be aware of Washington’s exact military and security goals and at best will help the AWACS, (Airborne Warning and Control Systems), military ships and navigator tornados. This means that Germany pays for the adventures of the US and Britain without reaping any of its benefits.
In conclusion, if Germany agrees to take this subsidiary position and help US in running its military operations, it seeks the following:
First, getting permission for building new weapons and exporting them, considering the limitations set after the Second World War.
Second, changing the shipping rules and regulations that are applied in times of war.
As a country which is concerned about geo-economics and expanding its exports, Germany, more than many other world countries, need free shipping and security in the seas. The country knows that rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea and Baltic Sea will have very negative effects on its trade benefits; that’s why Germany is also against the military presence of Russia in Karima, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean and tries to change some rules that control maritime transport in times of war.
MNA/TT
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