UPDATE:German Labor Minister Resigns Over Afghanistan Air Strike
By Andrea Thomas, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
(Adds comments by Jung, background)
BERLIN -(Dow Jones)- German Labor Minister Franz Josef Jung resigned Friday
after revelations about his handling of information about an air strike in
Afghanistan in which civilians were killed.
Jung, who was defense minister at the time, said he is assuming "political
responsibility for the internal information policy" of his ministry, withholding
information from his successor.
"I have nothing to add to my declaration to the Bundestag [lower house of
parliament] from yesterday, I have correctly informed the public as well as the
parliament about how much I knew," Jung said.
"With this decision, I want to assure that the government will be able to
continue with its successful work thoroughly and to prevent any damage to the
Federal Armed Forces."
As pressure mounted for his resignation, Jung admitted Thursday he had passed
on a confidential report by the military police to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization which confirmed civilians had been killed in the air strike, but
said he hadn't read the contents of the report.
Following the air strike in September, he had publicly denied he was aware of
the deaths of civilians.
The attack took place three weeks before Germany's general elections amid a
heated debate about the country's mission in Afghanistan, which has become
increasingly unpopular.
Jung's resignation is an embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-
right coalition government, which took office four weeks ago. The Labor
portfolio is a crucial post in the government, overseeing half of the
government's budget.
He had been a fairly lackluster defense minister and his appointment as labor
minister in the new government came as surprise, given the challenges linked to
the expected rise in unemployment caused by the economic crisis. Merkel is
expected to appoint his successor soon. The post is expected to be filled by a
member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party, and not from the Free
Democratic Party coalition partner.
The air strike, which was ordered by a German commander, targeted two fuel
tankers hijacked by Taliban militants. But dozens of civilians were also killed
in the attack, which happened in the northern province of Kunduz.
At the time, Jung said that based on information available to him there had
been no civilian casualties but he told the lower house of parliament earlier
Thursday that he made clear from the start "that civil victims couldn't be ruled
out."
Germany's new defense minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Thursday confirmed
that this secret report exists but that it hadn't been presented to him until
Wednesday.
As a result, German military general inspector Wolfgang Schneiderhan and
German deputy defense minister Peter Wichert resigned, assuming responsibility
for not presenting this report to zu Guttenberg who took office last month.
Germany has around 4,200 troops in Afghanistan--the third largest contingent
in the country after the U.S. and the U.K.
-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 30 288 84126; andrea.thomas@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-27-090818ET
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