Annual National Convention of the Federation of German-American Clubs
Deputy Chief of Mission John M. Koenig

Hamburg
August 26, 2006

It is an honor and a privilege to represent the American Embassy at the 59th annual convention of the Federation of German-American Clubs here in Hamburg. I bring the greetings and best wishes of Ambassador Timken. I arrived in Berlin just last week. The opportunity to meet you and learn more about your activities and plans for the future is a perfect start for my job here in Germany.

As a diplomat, I have been involved in various aspects of transatlantic relations during the course of my career. Over the years, I have learned that transatlantic relations are not just about governments talking to each other. Strong people-to-people connections are at the foundation of transatlantic partnership. The commitment and initiative of the members of the German-American clubs around the country have been instrumental in building a strong network of people and organizations. Most important, the clubs have built bridges to the future, particularly through your exchange programs. But this is something I learned well before I joined the State Department. I was an exchange student twice in Germany – an Austauschschueler at the Gymnasium in Mayen near Koblenz in high school, and a Germanistik student in Cologne for several months in university. Those experiences changed my life.

The programs organized and run by the Federation of German-American Clubs have an excellent reputation. Why? Because they work.

There is no better testimonial to the effectiveness of your exchange programs than feedback from the participants. Earlier this week, I took a look at your website and found this report from a young man who visited the United States last year under one of your programs. He said, and I quote, “Ich freue mich und bin den Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs sehr dankbar, dass ich die Gelegenheit bekommen habe, die Vereinigten Staaten auf diese Weise kennen zu lernen, und ich kann nur jeden ermutigen, sich von den in Europa allzu üblichen Vorurteilen gegenüber den USA zu befreien und sich ein eigenes Bild von Amerika zu machen.”

An excellent observation and good words of advice – and what better description of the advantages of exchange programs. It sums up why Ambassador Timken has made it a priority to increase the strategic impact of exchanges, and to build and strengthen the networks that can enhance the impact of these programs. It is also why we are exploring opportunities to encourage a more diverse segment of young Germans, including immigrants and people who may not be college-bound, to visit the United States. At the same time, we are working closely with schools and public libraries to broaden the scope of information resources available because one thing is certain: sustained dialogue, information exchange, and sharing of opinions are essential to any friendship. Friends debate and may sometimes disagree. But, at the end of the day, friends come together to pursue common interests with respect and resolve.

As all of us in this room know, the transatlantic agenda has changed enormously in the past 15 years. The last time I served in this country, Germany was a divided country. I was posted in the Embassy in East Berlin. Looking back, that time was marked by events like the shooting death of Major Nicholson of our military mission in Potsdam, the release of Natan Scharansky at the Glienicke Bridge, the Labelle Disco bombing in West Berlin, Markus Wolff’s press conference, glasnost, perestroika.

In contrast, my most recent assignment was in Brussels at NATO headquarters, and it was about unity of purpose, not division. A little over a decade ago, NATO was a security alliance facing a threat from the East. It included 16 countries – with a high state of planning, well trained and exercised – but it had never conducted military operations. In my day-to-day work at NATO’s Brussels headquarters over the last three years, I worked with 25 other Alliance members and 31 partners, providing security in eight different operations. When I arrived at NATO in 2003, the Alliance had just taken the lead international role for security in the Afghan capital, Kabul. When I left last month, NATO had the lead in three quarters of the country, and was preparing to take command for all of Afghanistan later this year. It was Germany that led NATO to begin expanding Kabul, and Germany remains the lead Ally in the north. This is a difficult mission, and we are fulfilling it together – like true partners.

Despite the enormous changes that have taken place over the past decades, or even the past several years, Europe and America never stopped agreeing on common objectives. Why? Because we are bound by shared values of freedom, democracy, economic opportunity, human rights, and the rule of law.

A strong European-American partnership is critical both to face global threats and to take advantage of global opportunities. Working together, Americans and Europeans are using our combined talents, expertise, and dedication to address the globe's greatest challenges. Europe and the United States have consulted, developed joint actions, pooled our resources and rolled up our sleeves to get the work done necessary to improve people's lives and advance peace and security. We especially appreciate the steps Chancellor Merkel has taken to reinforce the tradition and spirit of German-American and transatlantic cooperation and to focus attention on common strategies and policies.

Five years after 9/11 the world still faces a very real and significant terrorist threat. The recent revelations regarding terrorist plots targeting airplanes between the UK and the United States and the bombs found in German train stations are reminders of a new challenge that we face on both sides of the Atlantic – a new face of violent Islamic extremism, closer to home, indeed right at home. This beautiful city, so open to the world for centuries, was where Mohammed Atta and others planned the September 11 attacks; how do we deal with this, and how do we deal with home grown Islamic terrorism. This demands more sharing of information, more committed and cooperative action, both within and between nations. There is a strong domestic, even local dimension to this new challenge, but there is also a strong transnational dimension that we must address together.

Terrorists ignore borders as much as they disregard human life. They attack airplanes, trains, buses, schools, ships, hotels, and restaurants. They change their tactics as often as they change their targets. No cause, no grievance, no political agenda can justify terrorism and the murder of innocent people.

Terrorists like those who were responsible for September 11 or those who appear to be behind recent plots have long targeted the United States and friends and partners who stand for freedom. Through the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, they have repeatedly shown their contempt for human life, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. International cooperation and vigilance remain essential to fighting this determined enemy.

We must succeed in the struggle against terrorism, and we can succeed. Earlier this summer, Germany hosted the World Cup – with great success. Germany ensured the safety of hundreds of thousands of spectators in stadiums and at Fan Fests. That was no coincidence. It was the result of excellent planning -- and extensive and groundbreaking cooperation with participating, neighboring and transit countries. British bobbies, Dutch border guards, U.S. experts, and NATO AWACS planes all played their part. Effectiveness requires cooperation.

The international community also has the responsibility to help the people of Lebanon and Israel to secure the lasting peace they both desire -- and both deserve. The people of the Middle East have lived for too long at the mercy of extremists. The UN Security Council resolution provides an opportunity to overcome old patterns of violence and build a new foundation for stable and sustainable peace.

The ceasefire agreement reached last week was a good first step. Now comes the long, hard work to secure the peace. The conditions of a lasting peace must be nurtured over time, with the goodwill of the Lebanese and Israeli governments, and with the sustained commitment of the international community. The resolution is very clear about how this tragedy began. Six years after Israel withdrew completely from Lebanon, Hezbollah, a terrorist group, crossed an international boundary, captured and killed Israeli soldiers, and began firing thousands of rockets into Israeli cities. Hezbollah and its sponsors have brought devastation upon the people of Lebanon, dragging them into a war they did not choose, and exploiting them as human shields. A durable ceasefire will require changed circumstances so that the government of Lebanon, not a terrorist organization, controls all of the weapons and territory of Lebanon.

Looking ahead, the pressing challenge is to help the hundreds of thousands of displaced people within Lebanon to return to their homes and rebuild their lives. The government of Lebanon will lead this reconstruction effort, but it will demand the generosity of the entire world. As a first step, the U.S. has increased immediate humanitarian assistance to $230 million to help the Lebanese people rebuild their homes and return to their towns and communities. As President Bush said earlier this week, “America is making a long-term commitment to help the people of Lebanon because we believe every person deserves to live in a free, open society that respects the rights of all.” To secure the gains of peace, the Lebanese people must emerge from this conflict with more opportunities and greater prosperity.

There are other areas where we can point to good transatlantic and international cooperation. On Iran, we are working side by side with our European partners to prevent the regime from developing a nuclear weapons program that would destabilize the region and the world. In Afghanistan, NATO Allies and EU members have answered the call for increased support of the young democracy. In Iraq, Europeans are our partners in providing both security and development assistance to Prime Minister Maliki's democratically elected government. In the Balkans, we're working hard to support new democracies and bring them into American and European alliances. We've stood together to support new democracies in Georgia and Ukraine. In Sudan, we've reached out to the African Union and the United Nations to bring stability to a troubled region. There is healthy transatlantic exchange of views on energy security, international environmental issues, and bilateral and global trade initiatives.

I have framed my remarks in terms of transatlantic policy agendas and transatlantic cooperation because of my recent experience at NATO, where 26 democracies come together to address the security challenges of the 21st century. But now I am here in Germany – and I couldn’t be more delighted to be here. The meetings I had with senior officials in Washington earlier this month, and my experience since arriving in Berlin last week only confirms what I had come to recognize at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Germany has moved to the very center of our transatlantic partnership. It is an exciting time to be here -- a time of challenge, it is true, but also a time of extraordinary potential to work together for our common good and a better world.

And so in closing, I'd like to salute the members of the Federation of German-American clubs. Here's to you and the positive contribution all of your club members have made to enhance international respect, understanding, and communication. Each one of you can and does truly make a difference in helping us to fulfill our mission: to work with our partners to create a more secure, democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the international community. I thank all of you for your contributions and dedication to this endeavor.

Thank you.