German Left questions US military flights via Leipzig

by Coilín Sun Feb 04, 2007 21:03

Thanks for asking some pointed questions.

> 1-The treaty says no NATO troops may be Stationed in the Former DDR,
> but transiting troops are by no means Stationed in an airport they are
> traveling through.

Please don't mistake me for an expert on the matter. I have yet to deepen my knowledge of the legal issues that arise in the articles I have translated. However, I have read an English translation of the treaty and note the following passages, which may be relevant:
From Article 5, paragraph 1: "During that period ... armed forces of other states will not be stationed in that territory or carry out any other military activity there."

While my sources in Leipzig tell me that the American troops transiting at Shannon generally do little more than get a bite to eat and a sup to drink, and then move on, I submit that they are indeed engaged in military activity, by virtue of the fact that they are wearing uniforms and making their way to or from a war zone.

By the way, I note the following in Article 2:
"The Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic reaffirm their declarations that only peace will emanate from German soil. According to the constitution of the united Germany, acts tending to and undertaken with the intent to disturb the peaceful relations between nations, especially to prepare for aggressive war, are unconstitutional and a punishable offence. ..."

I would submit that, through its collaboration with the aggressive enforcement of the United States' occupation of Iraq, including frequent bombings and other raids on positions of indigenous resistance within Iraq, the united Germany is in breach of this article.

Please read the treaty for yourself here:
Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/2plusfour8994e.htm

> 2-The list of individuals in the warrant, does anyone know if those are the
> real names, or might they be Deceptive names?

As mentioned, the names are thought to be aliases. If Captain Kirk were involved in the kidnappings, I wouldn't blame the gardaí at Shannon for being reluctant to intervene to arrest him and his crew. (But he is not, and I do.)

> 3-Since German Troops serve in Afghanistan, why should the government
> even respond to this query? seemingly the German troops didnt walk to
> Afghanistan.

I don't get your point. The questions relate to the transit of _American_ troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. I think the German troops could find their way to Afghanistan, either on foot or by air, without any American troops to show the way.

Conversely, I think the German government should also be pressed to answer some pointed questions about the struggling campaign in Afghanistan. For example:
Was the German invasion of Afghanistan consistent with the declarations of the two former German governments at the time of the reunification, "that only peace will emanate from German soil" ?
How's it going over there? Are we winning the war, or are we just making enemies? Has peace emanated from German participation?
Did we invade Afghanistan to fight Al-Qaeda, or to fight the Taliban?
Have we captured Osama bin Laden yet? Has anybody seen him at all lately? Does anybody know which country he is in right now?
Is it true that the Taliban has recently shown the British troops in Afghanistan the fiercest and most prolonged fighting they have experienced in 50 years?
Does the German government remember who won and who lost the three wars the British Empire fought in its attempts to conquer Afghanistan between 1839 and 1919?
Does the German government remember who won and who lost the war that resulted from the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1980?
How many German troops would it take to eradicate all indigenous resistance in Afghanistan, and how many Afghans would they have to kill to achieve such a goal?
How many German troops have been killed in Afghanistan to date? How many have come back suffering permanent disability?
How long can our troops fight a war in hostile territory before we are prepared to concede defeat and withdraw?

Thanks again for asking.

Keep well.
Coilín.

by Horace Debussy Jones Sat Feb 03, 2007 04:40

Now several questions come to mind;
1-The treaty say's no NATO troops may be Stationed in the Former DDR, but transiting troops are by no means Stationed in an airport they are traveling through.
2-The list of individuals in the warrant, does anyone know if those are the real names, or might they be Deceptive names?
3-Since German Troops serve in Afghanistan, why should the government even respond to this query? seemingly the German troops didnt walk to Afghanistan.

by Coilin Thu Feb 01, 2007 22:46

One of my contacts in Leipzig has sent me the following:

This or similar questions we leave in the parliament of Saxonia (by Volker Külow) and Saxony-Anhalt (Uwe Heft) too. (both members of the "Linkspartei.PDS")

by anon Thu Feb 01, 2007 21:51

German Arrest Warrants, 13 CIAs: Bird, Bryson, Deckard, Fain, Fairing, Franklin, Grady

The arrest warrant issued in Germany today for 13 CIA employees has not been made public, but here are the names that will appear on it anyway. Most if not all are aliases, although the first names of the three pilots probably are correct.
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/137658/index.php

Here are the names on the warrant (aliases, although the first names of the pilots are thought to be correct):

Bird, Kirk James [James Robert Kirkland], the pilot.
Bryson, Charles Goldman
Deckard, John Richard
Fain, Eric Matthew, another pilot.
Fairing, James [Faring ?], the captain Also in Milan case? Age about 51.
Franklin, Jason
Grady, Michael
Greesbore, Walter Richard
Loren, Hector [Lorenzo ?]
Lumsden II, Lyle Edgar [III ?]
O'Hale, James
O'Riley, Patricia
Payne, Jane

The person in the photo probably is "Eric Fain." He lives with his parents near the Kinston GTP. Here is a rough translation from the report by Panorama: