Politicians who refuse to take heed of the ongoing global anti-war protests and demonstrations are a "misguided" lot, said German Ambassador to Malaysia Jurgen Staks.

In a recent interview with malaysiakini , he said all politicians, including those from the United States, must not ignore the massive protest against war as that would be denying the people's right to peace.

"Political leaders, including those from the US cannot just ignore that. They must see how many thousands are willing to go to the street to forward the call for peace.

"The peace message is the message of the people, not just individuals. If the politicians are not able to listen to that, then they are misguided," he said.

Staks added if all leaders are aware of the global sentiment opposing the war, it may just be the first step towards a new and stronger commitment to search for a peaceful way as far as disarmament of weapons of mass destruction is concerned.

Resolution 1441

When asked, he denied he was implying that the US administration is misguided.

"What I meant is that any average politician, including those from the US, should know what is going o­n in his constituency and if his constituency in a state of majority opposes a war, he is well advised to inform his superiors, parties of administration about what is going on in the street," he said.

The ambassador said Germany would stand by its position to oppose the war as they believe that war is not the only solution to toe Iraq and its president Saddam Hussein down to Resolution 1414, the disarmament measure agreed to by the Iraqis after the 1990 Gulf War.

The German government as well as the French feel that war cannot be justified just yet as there other possibilities that are included in Resolution 1441 which have not been explored, he added.

The unconvincing evidence and presentation on Iraq's 'possession' of weapons of mass destructions did not help the US case either, he said.

"We insist that we get the evidence by the unit that has been tasked by the Security Council in order to bring this about.

"What we have to do is to wait for more information, more evidence, more statements from the UN weapon inspection chief Hans Blix and a decision, be it pro or con, will be made based on that," he said.

Time for inspectors

He said although it is uncertain how long Germany is willing to wait for a definite statement from Blix and his crew, the government is determined to give the inspection team all the time they feel is needed to conduct the necessary examination.

"Just imagine a war with all the tragic and terrible consequences. We cannot suddenly start it (war) when the chief inspector has said there wasn't enough evidence for us to do so. It would be a wrong decision," he said.

Staks said that Germany is not ruling out the possibility of Saddam acquiring the dangerous weapons but felt that a war cannot be started with just an inkling or feeling of doubt against the Iraqis.

"Of course you may have the feeling that Saddam Hussein is cheating you. You have the feeling that he has weapons of mass destruction but until we get clear evidence, in either direction, we can't go to war," he said.

In addition, he said, Germany is not convinced by US claims that the war would solve the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Staks also denied vehemently that Germany had vested interest in protesting the war.

"The allegation is pure nonsense. Pure nonsense! We do not have any oil dealings in Iraq or business interest in Iraq," he said.

"What we want is that Iraq becomes a really responsible member of the international community and consequentially lift the sanctions and to take care of the people in Iraq and to take care, of course, of all productions of developing this country to bring it back to prosperity and development," he said.

'Nato still effective'

He also claimed the differences in opinion between the countries within the European Union (EU) would not decrease the effectiveness of Nato as he believed that the countries respect each other's view on the issue.

As for Germany's objection to Nato providing military assistance to Turkey, Staks reiterated his country's stand that they would only agree to give military aid within the premises of a defence.

"We feel that by sending troops to Turkey would mean we are contributing to military action against Iraq. But at the same time we have clearly indicated that in case Turkey is attacked by Iraq, then it is a case of defence and for this purpose we would send anything that is necessary," he said.

The envoy said, as a member of Nato, Germany would not hesitate to provide military assistance to its allies who are in need, citing the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Even so, some US quarters have called the Germans "ingrates" for going against the country which was instrumental in helping them get rid of Nazism in World War II.

To this, Staks said he did not believe the statement represented the American people and its government as a whole.

He said while the Germans are grateful to the US for their contribution to the country's prosperity since World War II, the present issue is an entirely different matter.

"It is very easy to argue that if we don't do what they want, then we are very ungrateful. People might say to us: Don't you remember what we have done in the past? We liberated you from fascism, etc.

"But again, I don't think this is the case with the US and (that is why) we can live with that (statement). We would counter this argument whenever necessary, but we think it is better we don't say anything offensive because they are already contradicting themselves by saying this," he said.