More than a dozen countries have agreed to an international mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz after the end of combat operations. On Friday, April 17 in Paris, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the possible participation of the Bundeswehr in mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance. As conditions for the planned international mission, Merz mentioned the end of combat operations and “a secure legal basis, for example in the form of a UN Security Council resolution.” He added that a decision from the Bundestag is also needed to send the Bundeswehr abroad.
France and Great Britain expressed their readiness to take the lead in the multinational mission. France said it had already sent an aircraft carrier, ten warships and 50 planes to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In Germany, however, sending the Bundeswehr is controversial.
German press about sending the Bundeswehr to the Middle East
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” writes critically about the conditions set by the chancellor: “We cannot wait to send ships and planes until Trump, Netanyahu and Khamenei present a peace agreement in the golden frame; an extended truce must be enough. Although some ‘tougher’ mandate, going beyond the already existing UN resolution, would be desirable, it is not necessary – unless you want to (…) completely block German participation in the mission. However, when in Paris, London and other European capitals, in the spirit of alliance policy and in order to overcome the global energy and economic crisis, decides to send a navy to the Persian Gulf, Berlin cannot justify that German military divers trained in mine removal have the right only to deal with whales in the Baltic Sea (provided they have a Greenpeace mandate to do so).
“Badische Zeitung” comments: “It is right that Chancellor Friedrich Merz is making an offer for the Bundeswehr to search for and remove mines. The Navy has experience in this – millions of tons of explosives from World War II lie in the North and Baltic Seas. The Bundeswehr is credited with high professionalism in the depths of the seas. Nevertheless, many Germans will be critical of such a foreign mission. Support for Ukraine in defense against Russia already presents us with a huge challenge. The readiness to take on even greater responsibility in the world is decreasing as prices at home rise and our own prosperity shrinks. But if we do not do it, the threat to our economy and peace will be even greater.
Hope for peace between the US and Iran is mixed with uncertainty. Donald Trump threatened that if Tehran did not agree to hand over its enriched uranium, the US would deprive it of its supplies “in a much more hostile way.”
Lausitzer Rundschau notes: “In the discussion on the protection of ships in the Strait of Hormuz after the conclusion of the truce, dozens of nations, led by France and Great Britain, gathered to talk about an uncertain future. On the one hand, no one knows whether the truce between the US, Israel and Iran will be extended after Wednesday. On the other hand, the coalition of the willing may have to act sooner than expected. On the one hand, it is great that Europe in ultimately thinks strategically in its own interest. Europeans, however, must be careful not to become slaves to the ever-changing goals of the US president or other players. You cannot continue to follow Trump’s constant alarm mode if you do not want to eat the soup that others have made.
The Rhein-Zeitung focuses on diplomatic options: “The key is whether words turn into binding commitments. Meetings alone do not solve the conflict. Peace, as Trump likes to write in capital letters, is not created by posting on the Internet. Negotiations require patience and usually last many years – failures are the rule rather than the exception. That is why mediators who have a longer breathing space than the US president should get involved – and support those forces that want to end the constant outbreaks of violence. Europe could play a role a greater role in this regard. Together with the Arab countries, Pakistan and Turkey, it could support long-term negotiations: through initiatives, targeted pressure and, above all, incentives. The effects of the war are already felt in Europe. Stability in the Middle East is therefore also in our own interest.
The article comes from Deutsche Welle
