U.S.-German Political Frost Starts to Thaw

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair over dinner on Tuesday, seeking to defuse a row with Washington over Iraq.

The meeting, just two days after Germans re-elected Schröder as chancellor, followed earlier signals that frosty relations between the United States and Germany may be starting to thaw.

At a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Warsaw on Tuesday, Germany's Peter Struck sought to smooth ruffled feathers between Berlin and Washington by offering to take over the U.N. peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.

In London, meanwhile, the heads of Germany and England met just after Blair released a long-awaited paper saying Iraq could launch a chemical or biological warhead with less than an hour's notice.

The paper, intended as a defense of Blair's strong pro-American stance, drew sharp criticism from senior Iraqi officials.

Schröder and Blair "discussed a range of issues including Iraq, Afghanistan and various EU matters," a Blair spokesman told Reuters, declining to go into details but insisting the atmosphere was "warm and informal".

Powell: "Relationship will thrive and grow"

Both moves appeared to be part of a reconciliatory offensive on the part of Schröder's cabinet, and they came on the same day a Russian newspaper published an interview with Colin Powell in which the secretary of state said that relations between the two countries continued to be "tight" and "good."

"Germany is one of our closest friends," Powell told the newspaper "Izvestia." "And differences and difficulties will arise in any relationship from time to time, but the strength of the relationship between the United States and Germany will remain and, I expect, will thrive and grow," he said.

The Bush administration is said to be angered over statements allegedly made by German Justice Minister Herta Däubler-Gmelin comparing Bush's methods with those of Hitler as well as by Schröder's steadfast refusal to support military action against Iraq.

In Warsaw, Struck proposed that Germany and The Netherlands could together lead the U.N.-mandated ISAF peacekeeping force in Afghanistan after Turkey leaves the post in December.

Currently, 1,200 German soldiers are participating in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, and Struck has proposed expanding the number of troops by deploying the German-Dutch Corps, a NATO force comprising soldiers from both countries that is stationed in the western German city of Münster.

"We would be taking over additional responsibilities that I think the American government will reward," Struck told reporters.

Little hope for meeting with Rumsfeld

But he still held out little hope for a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who publicly snubbed Struck as a result of a "poisoning" of the political atmosphere between Washington and Berlin. Nonetheless, Struck said, relations did not appear to be "seriously tense."

"I think the American government, which is attached to a long tradition of democracy, will accept the fact that we have a newly elected government that they will have to work together with well during the next four years," Struck said.

Rumsfeld's snubbing of Struck was particularly remarkable given that the summit represented Struck's first-ever meeting as German defense minister with his counterparts from the other NATO alliance members. Struck replaced former defense minister Rudolf Scharping in July after his abrupt firing in July over a conflict of interest.

The White House has so far refused to issue its traditional statement greeting the new German government. On Tuesday, however, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher offered a tepid acknowledgement.

"Obviously, we welcome a democratic election. Voters of Germany have spoken clearly through a democratic process, and we look forward to working with the German government on issues of common interest," he said.

Iraq casts cloud over NATO, EU-Asia summits

The rift in relations between the United States and Germany, which reached its high point during Germany's cliffhanger election over the weekend, simmered in the background this week at two major international summits being held in Copenhagen and Warsaw.

At the opening of the Asia-Europe Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, European Commission President Romano Prodi sought to defuse the situation on Monday by describing the hot-house atmosphere as a misinterpretation of German political culture.

"If there is a poisoning of relations, then there is a misunderstanding of democracy in Germany," Prodi told reporters. "We must be prepared to work together to discuss issues publicly." He added that German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's positions on Iraq, as laid out in his election battle, should not be perceived as an "aggressive campaign" against the United States.

There are few "differences of opinion" between the U.S. and Europe, and right now those are primarily the establishment of the international criminal court and the question of how to resolve the diplomatic impassé with Iraq. "In those areas we disagree, but that doesn't mean we don't feel deep friendship," he said.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is the European Union's current rotating president, has so far refused to comment on the U.S.-Germany spat. But on Monday he said it would "not have the slightest effect" on EU-U.S. relations. However, he did admit there were "nuances" in positions between European countries over Iraq.

French President Jacqués Chirac attempted to introduce a resolution at the Asia-Europe summit condemning the United States if it acted alone against Saddam Hussein. But the proposed resolution failed to gain traction after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi rejected it, instead asking delegates to be respectful of "American sensitivities."

The leaders at the summit – including heads of state from Europe and Asia – agreed to a broadly-worded statement ordering that all military engagements should be under the mandate of the United Nations. But it didn't specifically mention Iraq.