German Social Democratic Party remains divided over stance towards Moscow
As Europe rearms, the pacifist wing of the German Social Democratic Party is calling for renewed ties with Moscow and greater emphasis on diplomacy. The party congress, scheduled to take place from June 27 to 29 in Berlin, could be the scene of many disputes, predicts the German press.
"With his thin figure, his polite and reserved, even shy, manner, Rolf Mützenich is not a politician like the others," assures Der Spiegel . But, in recent days, the one who was The leader of the parliamentary group of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) until last February is at the heart of a controversial debate.
In mid-June, the sixty-year-old, along with 120 other figures from mainly the left wing of the SPD, signed a manifesto calling for rapprochement with Russia, echoing some of the arguments used by the Kremlin to criticize NATO. “The reactions within the party were violent.”
The manifesto was seen as a personal attack on Social Democratic Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius even described the document as a "denial of reality."
"I was irritated and shaken by the vehemence of some of the attacks, especially those coming from the SPD," commented Rolf Mützenich in the columns of the centrist weekly. He denies being a "Putin proxy," but believes that German rearmament is dangerous and that only diplomacy can restore calm with Russia.
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Courrier International
