Baden-Wuerttemberg Minister President Survives Controversy

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FRANKFURT 001842 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR GM SUBJECT: Baden-Wuerttemberg Minister President Survives Controversy over Eulogy for Nazi-Era Judge Sensitive but unclassified; not for internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Baden-Wuerttemberg Minister-President Guenther Oettinger (CDU/Christian Democrats) came under intense fire over an April 11 eulogy for former CDU state head Hans Filbinger (forced to resign in 1978 over his Nazi-era service as a military judge). The Jewish Central Council called for Oettinger's resignation, and SPD national head Kurt Beck attacked him for "fishing among the far right." After a rebuke from Chancellor Merkel, Oettinger -- who in his eulogy called Filbinger "not a Nazi but rather an opponent of the regime" -- eventually apologized, claimed he was misunderstood, and said Filbinger was no different from millions who simply "conformed" under Nazi-era conditions. Oettinger has Merkel's support and, with the Jewish community's April 16 acceptance of his apology, will survive in solidly conservative Baden-Wuerttemberg. END SUMMARY. -------------- Chancellor Merkel Reprimands Oettinger -------------- ¶2. (U) Oettinger came under fire over an April 11 eulogy for his predecessor and honorary state CDU head Hans Filbinger (who resigned in 1978, after twelve years as Minister-President, over his Nazi-era capital verdicts against deserters shortly before the war's end). Oettinger, who at first defended his remarks, began to back-pedal after a public reprimand by Chancellor Merkel on April 13. In a later publicized phone conversation, Merkel criticized Oettinger for failing to criticize Filbinger's service under the Nazi regime, thus offending family members of those who suffered from Filbinger's verdicts. Oettinger said his remarks were misunderstood and that Filbinger was no different from millions who simply "conformed" under Nazi-era conditions. In an interview this weekend with the tabloid "Bild", Oettinger expressed regret and on April 16, apologized for his words and offered to discuss the matter directly with Jewish Central Council head Charlotte Knobloch. In reaction, Oettinger's coalition partner the FDP (Free Democrats),who had begun to distance themselves from Oettinger, have signaled that they now consider the affair closed. -------------- -- Jewish Leaders, Opposition Call for Resignation -------------- -- ¶3. (U) SPD National Chairman Kurt Beck attacked Oettinger for 
"fishing on the far right" and called upon him to apologize. B-W SPD leader Ute Vogt demanded Oettinger's resignation saying his justifications made a bad thing worse ("without an official apology, he is no longer acceptable as Minister-President"). B-W Green caucus chief Winfried Kretschmann also remarked that, without a formal apology, Oettinger could not remain in office. Kretschmann, who also attended the Filbinger funeral, said that Oettinger's speech made him feel "as if I attended the services of a member of the German resistance". ¶4. (U) The Central Council of Jews, which criticized Oettinger immediately after the funeral, became more critical as Oettinger and fellow state conservatives failed to back down. Central Council Secretary General Stephan Kramer insisted on Oettinger's SIPDIS resignation; other board members, including Knobloch, have also been highly critical of Oettinger in recent days. -------------- State CDU Stands By Its Man -------------- ¶5. (U) Despite the increasing pressure, the B-W CDU closed ranks behind Oettinger. B-W CDU Secretary General Thomas Strobl, Bundestag member Georg Brunnhuber (leader of the state's conservative Bundestag caucus),several other state Bundestag members, and several state cabinet ministers defended Oettinger. Brunnhuber not only lauded Oettinger's speech as a "masterpiece" but also attacked Merkel and the Jewish Central Council - leading Jewish leaders to accuse Brunnhuber of anti-Semitism. Brunnhuber even accused Merkel of escalating the affair by publicly admonishing a Minister-President. The B-W CDU youth organization Junge Union also defended Oettinger's statements. "He only said what the majority of the Baden-Wuerttembergers think," claimed Junge Union chairman Steffen Bilger, who added that as one of Germany's strongest CDU organizations, the B-W CDU "cannot always take into consideration what Angela Merkel wants." ¶6. (U) However, the Chancellor's intervention, which led to Oettinger's second apology, has allowed Merkel herself to calm the storm: on April 16, she welcomed Oettinger's apology as an "important and necessary" step and said she "expects that the apology will also be heard." The Central Council of Jews also welcomed the apology as a "first step" towards reconciliation. -------------- FRANKFURT 00001842 002 OF 002 COMMENT: An Old Controversy Dies Hard -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Filbinger's wartime record was a divisive issue in regional politics for three decades, with diehard conservatives maintaining that critics had chased a dedicated public servant from office (Filbinger remained honorary chairman of the B-W CDU until his death). Most surprising in this affair was Oettinger's role -- usually seen as part of the CDU's reformist wing. That Oettinger risked his career to honor Filbinger (throwing a sop to CDU ultra-conservatives) shows the power of old worldviews and allegiances in one of Germany's conservative strongholds. With Oettinger's apology now blessed by the Chancellor and accepted by the FDP and Central Council, Oettinger will certainly survive the affair. Oettinger, however, must seek a deeper reconciliation with the Jewish community: as one of Germany's largest and most powerful states -- and home to one of the world's fastest growing Jewish communities (thanks to recent emigration from Russia) -- Baden-Wuerttemberg can ill afford "tainted" leadership. END COMMENT. POWELL