Stretching Solidarity in Berlin

It is with fond memories that Germans remember George H. Bush, the father of America’s current commander in chief.

The former President had been in office one year when Germany underwent its chaotic and emotional reunification in 1989 and the United States stood patiently by its side throughout the traumatic event.

Germans never got to thank George Bush Sr. personally, as the president never made a visit to Berlin during his four year term. This Thursday, for a fleeting 19 hours, Germans will finally get to see a Bush in the flesh.

Whether it is with words of thanks that Germans greet the highly popular US President is in doubt. Mass protests and extensive security measures are scheduled for Bush’s brief stop, his first-ever visit to Germany.

The target of many of the protestors flooding Berlin will most likely be the main topic in Bush’s meetings with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer: military action against Iraq.

Itching for Baghdad

It’s been months since anti-Taliban forces and their American allies toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan. As American special forces ferret out remaining Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, the Bush administration has been itching to move on to their next target: President Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

But military action has been stalled by allies, like Germany, who are willing to extend their solidarity only so far. Though supporting the US desire to topple Hussein, Europe and Russia have been roundly against military action against Iraq fearing a dangerous aftermath in the already unstable region.

The disagreements have led to some nasty comments on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months, like EU Commissioner for external affairs Chris Patten’s comments that America was in "unilateralist overdrive." Secretary of State Colin Powell responded to such criticism in comments ahead of Bush’s European visit saying that such a suggestion was a "canard.

"I spend an enormous amount of time consulting with my European colleagues," he told England’s Guardian newspaper.

Stand by your superpower

Schröder and Fischer, who offered some of his own criticism a few weeks back, will be eager to show Bush that they continue to stand by America. Germany has troops taking part in both the Afghanistan attacks and the peacekeeping operation in Kabul.

German chemical weapons detection vehicles have been training in Kuwait for months now, even though Schröder has ruled out an Iraq attack without a UN mandate.

The chances the American president will leave for Moscow, the next stop on his trip, with German backing for an attack on Iraq are slim. But Schröder and company will probably carefully word their denial.

Staying on the good side

Berlin wants to stay on Washington’s good side and push Bush into a more active peacemaking role in the Middle East and a longer stay by US troops in Afghanistan.

The American President will wrap up his trip with a 45-minute speech in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of Parliament. It will mark the first time a US President has held a speech in front of the legislative-making body.

There will be no question and answer period following the talk though, no opportunity for those to voice Europe's distaste with Washington's recent protective trade measures and agricultural subsidies.

Air Force One is scheduled to take off 45 minutes after the 2 p.m. speech ends.