Admin I Sunday, December 01, 2024
BERLIN – The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) plans to campaign on calls for the country to quit the European Union, the Paris climate agreement and the euro currency ahead of the early election expected in February.
But Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany believes that Russia’s war against Ukraine will be a topic in the upcoming parliamentary elections and warned against drawing red lines over support for his country. The policies are spelled out in the AfD’s draft party platform, which will be discussed and voted on by AfD members at a national party conference on January 11 to 12.
The 85-page paper also calls for a tightening of abortion laws, an end to economic sanctions against Russia and the repair and re-commissioning of the Nord Stream pipelines, which brought natural gas to Germany from Russia. With regard to the euro, the draft program states that Germany must “end the misguided path of permanent bailouts by reintroducing a national currency.”
The paper also states: “We consider it necessary for Germany to leave the European Union and establish a new European community.”
The AfD draft platform accused the European Union of having vehemently pushed ahead with its transformation into a “planned economy super-state” in recent years. The AfD’s manifesto ahead of European Parliament elections in June contained similiar language, but did not explicitly call for Germany to quit the EU.
The draft also calls for an exit from the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. The “alleged scientific consensus” of man-made climate change is politically constructed, the draft claims.
There is no reason to restrict the use of coal, natural gas and oil, humans cannot protect the climate and carbon dioxide – the gas scientists say is most responsible for warming the climate – is ascribed a positive role in the draft program, which states that it is “a driver of increased global plant growth and thus promotes world nutrition.”
Under the heading “welcoming culture for children,” the AfD advocates legal restrictions on abortions in the draft. “When carefully weighing up the interests, abortion must remain the absolute exception, e.g. in the case of criminological or medical indication,” it says.
It is also proposed that pregnant women should be required to view ultrasound images of the child during counseling sessions when considering an abortion “so that they are aware of the child’s stage of development.”
Abortions are currently illegal under Section 218 of the German Criminal Code, but in practice are available and not subject to punishment in the first 12 weeks if the woman receives counselling beforehand. An abortion also remains unpunished if there are medical reasons or if it is performed due to rape.
The possible legalization of abortion under German law has been the subject of political debate for years.
However, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany said there should be no drawing red lines over support for his country.
“Action is needed today more than ever. And that is what I expect from the democratic parties in this election campaign,” Oleksii Makeiev said in an interview with dpa published on Saturday.
“I believe it is wrong to draw red lines around oneself and not in front of the enemy and the aggressor.”
Taurus controversy an election issue?
Support for Ukraine is contentious among the parties represented in the lower house of parliament or Bundestag. While the Social Democrats (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Greens, the pro-business Free Democrats and the conservative CDU/CSU are committed to large-scale arms deliveries, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the new populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party and The Left are against it.
However, there are also differences among the parties supporting Ukraine aid. The SPD’s Scholz opposes the delivery of the Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500 kilometres. The other three main parties, the Greens, the FDP and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) support the deliveries.
Makeiev urged that Ukraine be supported without restrictions in its defensive struggle against Russia.
“All restrictions that have existed for almost three years must be lifted,” he said, adding that “Russia will not be stopped by talks or diplomacy alone.”
Makeiev criticizes Scholz’s call with Putin
The ambassador also criticized the chancellor’s telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-November.
“If such talks are followed by airstrikes every time on the second day, then please no,” he said. Scholz had spoken with Putin on November 15 for the first time in nearly two years. Shortly afterwards, the Russian armed forces intensified their attacks on Ukraine.
“We have seen that Russia and Putin do not rely on discussions but rather on severe actions,” the ambassador said, saying Scholz had also recognized this.
Russia must now be forced by “hard facts” to withdraw from Ukraine, Makeiev said.
