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Fras, Damir
3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Stronger sanctions for Iran
The foreign ministers of the EU decided to extend the existing travel and trade sanctions against Iran at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The left-liberal Berliner Zeitung demands that more should be done: "There is still a chance that the European will agree on tougher sanctions against Iran. Punitive measures, like banning imports of Iranian oil to Europe. This would certainly come as a hard blow to Iran as the world's fifth-largest oil exporter but could have an unpleasant impact on petrol prices. And if states like China or India refuse to join in the Iranians will have enough alternatives for getting around a European embargo. The threat of war against Iran is not yet reality but never has the world been so close to the outbreak of a war. And now there's a new huge problem: up to now it was enough to put pressure on Iran. Now however efforts also must be made to stop Israel from firing the first shot."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » Iran
A chance not to be missed
By deploying additional troops to Afghanistan Germany could influence events in a positive way, writes the left-liberal Berliner Zeitung: "That need not necessarily mean just sending troops. ... Experts have long been saying that what Afghanistan really needs is hundreds - if not thousands - of military police. This blend of soldier and police officer is best suited for the creation of a force in Afghanistan similar to the French Gendarmerie or the Italian Carabinieri. The Afghans need such a force to contribute as much a possible to security in their country. With such a contribution the German government would be providing active support to Obama's plan. However debate on this subject is barely audible in Germany. The government is content to put off one decision after the next. But muddling along was never the right tactic."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Germany, » U.S., » Afghanistan
German Foreign Minister under pressure in Kurnaz case
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is having to justify his actions. As head of the chancellor's office during Gerhard Schröder's chancellorship, he held the chief responsibility in the case of the German-born Turk Murat Kurnaz, who was wrongly imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. A special committee set up by the European Parliament to investigate the activities of the CIA in Europe has reached the conclusion that the red-green government did not agree to an offer made by the US to release Kurnaz in 2002. Damir Fras comments: "If this is true it means that the German government knew even then that Kurnaz was not a terrorist. The report does not give any detailed information about its sources, making reference to 'confidential official information'. This is where its weakness lies, but there was no other alternative. The European committee had to rely on the voluntary statements of those affected, and could do nothing about it when witnesses like Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier refused to make a statement... There are striking similarities between the EU's statements and those given by the German government in its confidential report of February last year."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Germany
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