 | Around the World
Turkey
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul has said that his government would ask parliament to permit U.S. troops to use the country in the event of a war with Iraq. Gul commented that his government has all but given up on diplomatic means to disarm Saddam and has decided to join the United States in confronting Iraq militarily. A senior member of Gul’s Justice and Development Party said he was confident both resolutions would pass without much difficulty, despite the opposition of the Turkish public. Turkey shares a 150 mile frontier with Iraq. U.S. military commanders argue that the use of Turkish air bases would speed an American victory.
Germany
Unemployment levels have skyrocketed to a five-year high sending the German economy into its second recession in two years. Figures rose 398,000 last month to 4.623 million. The German economy, Europe’s biggest, grew only 0.2 percent in 2002, forcing corporations to terminate jobs. The bad news has piled more pressure on Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose Social Democratic Party lost key seats over his handling of the economy. Levels are expected to peak at around 10.5 percent later this year.
Australia
The upper house of parliament has passed a motion of “no confidence” in Prime Minister John Howard for his support of U.S. action towards Iraq. The vote, which censured the government for sending troops to the Middle East without the backing of the United Nations, will have little effect on the prime minister since the conservative Howard government holds a solid majority in the lower House of Representatives. The measure was passed 34-31 after the main opposition Labor party was joined by Green, Democratic and independent senators. Canberra has already committed 2,000 troops to the Middle East. Another 450 are expected to leave for the region in the coming weeks. Howard leaves for the United States next week, where he will discuss Iraq with President Bush.
Belgium
In the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, politicians met Wednesday to debate about God. The 11 men and two women, many of then former prime ministers are discussing whether or not God should be admitted into the wording of the constitution. On a continent where religious devotion is but a mere fraction of what it is in the United States, this could be a difficult task.
The committee must first sift through several proposals outlining Europe’s “spiritual heritage” and “God as the source of truth.” The statement would be part of a document that describes European values.
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