German candidates clash over Iraq

Stoiber, left, and Schroeder square off in their second debate

BERLIN, Germany -- The prospect of a U.S.-led war on Iraq dominated the second debate between the two men who would lead Germany after this month's election.

Conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber accused incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of putting Germany's ties with Washington in danger by opposing an attack.

Schroeder reiterated his defiance of the Bush administration over Iraq, saying he rules out a German role in such a war "with no ifs, ands or buts" even if the U.N. Security Council backs the action.

"I have neither sought a test of strength, nor is this about any kind of isolation," Schroeder said, adding it was a "question of war and peace" that Germany had to decide on its own.

The Social Democrat chancellor insisted his stance did not endanger friendly U.S.-German relations.

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Stoiber, the Bavarian leader running under the Christian Democratic Union banner, said he wants to leave open the option of using military force to keep up pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to admit U.N. weapons inspectors.

"In my opinion, you are damaging German-American relations," he told Schroeder, who challenged Stoiber: "Would there be participation against Iraq under your leadership -- yes or no?"

The question left Stoiber struggling for an answer before he repeated that he was opposed to any unilateral U.S. military action and that Germany should coordinate its stance with other European Union members.

Recent polls have showed Stoiber and Schroeder running neck-and-neck ahead of the September 22 election, and a snap poll of viewers for ARD public television gave Schroeder the edge after Sunday's debate.

Schroeder won favour with 51 percent of viewers, with Stoiber pegged at 30 percent. On foreign policy, Schroeder led Stoiber 57 to 28 percent, the poll showed. The poll did not offer a margin of error.

But on the question of unemployment, a snap poll by the Electoral Research Group showed Stoiber winning with 37 percent against 17 percent for Schroeder.

The German economy was the other major theme of the debate amid weak data last week that showed unemployment stuck above the politically sensitive four million mark and the economy slowing.

Stoiber, who can point to his own strong economic record as premier of the prosperous Bavarian state, repeated his attack on Schroeder for failing to keep his 1998 pledge to cut unemployment to 3.5 million.

"You've had your chance, and you're going to share the same fate as Helmut Kohl who failed to cut unemployment," Stoiber told Schroeder.

The chancellor responded that unemployment was currently lower than under conservative Chancellor Kohl.

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