Protestors kept far away during Bush visit to Germany
ebruary 23, 2005
Protestors kept far away during Bush visit to Germany
By Jenny Booth, Times Online
A reception committee awaits the arrival of the US President in Germany today
George Bush arrived for his first visit to Germany since the war in Iraq amid suffocating security that closed some of Germany’s busiest roads and left the centre of Mainz eerily empty except for police.
Manhole covers were welded shut, street mailboxes removed and police with sniffer dogs searched boats at marinas.
Rhine river traffic was stopped for the day, and residents in parts of town the US President was visiting were told to shutter their windows and stay off their balconies while he was there.
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators had been expected to rally in Mainz, but by noon police said that only 500 had turned up amid heavy snow, and were being kept at a safe distance from the security cordon, out of Mr Bush's sight.
Mr Bush and Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, are still patching up strains from the Iraq crisis, which Schroeder now terms "a legend that should finally be buried."
In a joint news conference this morning, Mr Schroeder sought to play down any differences the United States and Europe have concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
"We absolutely agree that Iran must say no to any kind of nuclear weapons," he said.
"Iran must not have any nuclear weapons. They must waive any right to the production thereof."
Mr Bush said: "It’s vital that the Iranians hear the world speak with one voice that they should not have a nuclear weapon. Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, for the sake of security and peace."
He said that Tehran had been caught enriching uranium after they said they wouldn’t do it.
"They have breached a contract with the international community. They’re the party that needs to be held to account, not any of us," he said.
Germany, Britain and France are involved in negotiations to get Iran to abandon any plans to develop a nuclear weapon. America hopes to achieve this by threats, while Europe wants to offer Tehran economic incentives such as membership in the World Trade Organization.
The United States has not rejected these negotiations but doesn’t completely support the European approach. The Bush administration says it doesn’t think Iran should be given incentives to comply with international agreements it already has signed in which it pledged not to build nuclear weapons.
In a wide-ranging press conference, Mr Schroeder said that while Germany has refused to send its military personnel to Iraq, it is training Iraqi security officers in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Bush thanked Germany for its "vital" contribution.
Bush also told Syria it must withdraw troops and "secret services" from Lebanon, amid increased tension after last week’s assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister.
Mainz officials found a gift with Texas roots to give to Bush - a stock certificate from a company that organized the emigration of several thousand Germans to his home state.
The certificate, a copy of the 1844 original, was from the Mainz Joint Stock Company for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, which city officials said sent people to the towns of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg.
Bush served as governor of Texas before he was elected president in 2000, and maintains a ranch there.
First lady Laura Bush, a librarian, got a tiny leather-bound book measuring 3.5mm (0.15 inch) square, with the Lord’s Prayer in seven languages, including English.
Bush is due to visit troops based in Germany on Wednesday, visit the Gutenberg Museum displaying the world’s first printing presses and meet with young German entrepreneurs.
From Germany, Bush flies on to Slovakia for Thursday meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovakian leaders.
About 500 people demonstrated in the snow along a main street in Mainz, before a planned protest march along a route approved by authorities. Police kept them outside the security cordon surrounding the city centre area where Mr Bush met Mr Schroeder.
Maximillian Weizel, 16, went along with 10 classmates after their high school, the Johannes Gutenberg Gymnasium, canceled classes because of the President's visit.
He said he was protesting because "Bush has messed up" and because he disagreed with "Bush’s list of regimes he wants to overthrow".
The protesters carried placards reading "We don’t Want your Kind of Peace," "Where Bush Is, There’s War", "World’s Number 1 Terrorist", and "Wanted Dead or Alive - George ’Dubya’ Bush and His Band of Congressmen".
Margret Koehler-Gutsch, 68, held a sign that said, "God Bless America - with Reason."
She said: "The majority of Americans who voted Bush into office and talk about God should read the Ten Commandments. They should remember that the commandments say ’Thou shalt not kill,’ and that people should love their neighbors.
"I cannot understand how someone can say they are acting in God’s will and then wage war. It’s perverse."
The demonstration was organized by an association of about 50 anti-war, environmental and anti-globalization groups that came together under the name of Not Welcome Bush.
A spokesman for the association, Thomas Klein, said before the demonstration that he expected a total of 5,000 to 10,000 people to protest in Mainz. "If that many come on a work day, that’s pretty good," said Klein.
However, police estimated the crowd at about 500 as the rally began. The avenue was lined with police and a few people who live along the street hung out rainbow posters, a symbol of the peace movement. Police mingled with demonstrators, handing out pamphlets urging them to protest peacefully.
A workers' union hung a large sign on the facade its office building reading, in English, "Bush Ruins Peace, Climate and Rights".
Lufthansa, the German airline, complained that it had had to cancel 71 flights because of the temporary closure of Frankfurt airport while Mr Bush arrived, affecting about 5,000 passengers.
Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.
Protestors kept far away during Bush visit to Germany
By Jenny Booth, Times Online
A reception committee awaits the arrival of the US President in Germany today
George Bush arrived for his first visit to Germany since the war in Iraq amid suffocating security that closed some of Germany’s busiest roads and left the centre of Mainz eerily empty except for police.
Manhole covers were welded shut, street mailboxes removed and police with sniffer dogs searched boats at marinas.
Rhine river traffic was stopped for the day, and residents in parts of town the US President was visiting were told to shutter their windows and stay off their balconies while he was there.
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators had been expected to rally in Mainz, but by noon police said that only 500 had turned up amid heavy snow, and were being kept at a safe distance from the security cordon, out of Mr Bush's sight.
Mr Bush and Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, are still patching up strains from the Iraq crisis, which Schroeder now terms "a legend that should finally be buried."
In a joint news conference this morning, Mr Schroeder sought to play down any differences the United States and Europe have concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
"We absolutely agree that Iran must say no to any kind of nuclear weapons," he said.
"Iran must not have any nuclear weapons. They must waive any right to the production thereof."
Mr Bush said: "It’s vital that the Iranians hear the world speak with one voice that they should not have a nuclear weapon. Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, for the sake of security and peace."
He said that Tehran had been caught enriching uranium after they said they wouldn’t do it.
"They have breached a contract with the international community. They’re the party that needs to be held to account, not any of us," he said.
Germany, Britain and France are involved in negotiations to get Iran to abandon any plans to develop a nuclear weapon. America hopes to achieve this by threats, while Europe wants to offer Tehran economic incentives such as membership in the World Trade Organization.
The United States has not rejected these negotiations but doesn’t completely support the European approach. The Bush administration says it doesn’t think Iran should be given incentives to comply with international agreements it already has signed in which it pledged not to build nuclear weapons.
In a wide-ranging press conference, Mr Schroeder said that while Germany has refused to send its military personnel to Iraq, it is training Iraqi security officers in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Bush thanked Germany for its "vital" contribution.
Bush also told Syria it must withdraw troops and "secret services" from Lebanon, amid increased tension after last week’s assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister.
Mainz officials found a gift with Texas roots to give to Bush - a stock certificate from a company that organized the emigration of several thousand Germans to his home state.
The certificate, a copy of the 1844 original, was from the Mainz Joint Stock Company for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, which city officials said sent people to the towns of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg.
Bush served as governor of Texas before he was elected president in 2000, and maintains a ranch there.
First lady Laura Bush, a librarian, got a tiny leather-bound book measuring 3.5mm (0.15 inch) square, with the Lord’s Prayer in seven languages, including English.
Bush is due to visit troops based in Germany on Wednesday, visit the Gutenberg Museum displaying the world’s first printing presses and meet with young German entrepreneurs.
From Germany, Bush flies on to Slovakia for Thursday meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovakian leaders.
About 500 people demonstrated in the snow along a main street in Mainz, before a planned protest march along a route approved by authorities. Police kept them outside the security cordon surrounding the city centre area where Mr Bush met Mr Schroeder.
Maximillian Weizel, 16, went along with 10 classmates after their high school, the Johannes Gutenberg Gymnasium, canceled classes because of the President's visit.
He said he was protesting because "Bush has messed up" and because he disagreed with "Bush’s list of regimes he wants to overthrow".
The protesters carried placards reading "We don’t Want your Kind of Peace," "Where Bush Is, There’s War", "World’s Number 1 Terrorist", and "Wanted Dead or Alive - George ’Dubya’ Bush and His Band of Congressmen".
Margret Koehler-Gutsch, 68, held a sign that said, "God Bless America - with Reason."
She said: "The majority of Americans who voted Bush into office and talk about God should read the Ten Commandments. They should remember that the commandments say ’Thou shalt not kill,’ and that people should love their neighbors.
"I cannot understand how someone can say they are acting in God’s will and then wage war. It’s perverse."
The demonstration was organized by an association of about 50 anti-war, environmental and anti-globalization groups that came together under the name of Not Welcome Bush.
A spokesman for the association, Thomas Klein, said before the demonstration that he expected a total of 5,000 to 10,000 people to protest in Mainz. "If that many come on a work day, that’s pretty good," said Klein.
However, police estimated the crowd at about 500 as the rally began. The avenue was lined with police and a few people who live along the street hung out rainbow posters, a symbol of the peace movement. Police mingled with demonstrators, handing out pamphlets urging them to protest peacefully.
A workers' union hung a large sign on the facade its office building reading, in English, "Bush Ruins Peace, Climate and Rights".
Lufthansa, the German airline, complained that it had had to cancel 71 flights because of the temporary closure of Frankfurt airport while Mr Bush arrived, affecting about 5,000 passengers.
Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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