Word: schmidts
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...Schmidt's luck turns sour
Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's re-election last October reaffirmed his political strength in West Germany and his stature as one of the leaders of the Western alliance. Recently, however, Schmidt has been faced by mounting problems that could pose the most serious challenge to his leadership in nearly seven years as Chancellor. Last week, amid flaring controversies within his own Social Democratic Party (S.P.D.), he hastily called an emergency meeting of party leaders. "We've got to get this mess under control fast," Schmidt told aides. "Too much is at stake...
...Chancellor's quandary is how to discipline the increasingly restive left wing of his party. Leftist protests have increased ever since Schmidt reacted to a weakening economy by slashing $8 billion from the 1981 federal budget last November. At the same time, under pressure from the U.S., Schmidt also announced a 1.75% increase in defense spending. Suddenly faced with the prospect of frozen welfare spending and cuts in foreign aid and environmental programs, some 50 leftist deputies in the normally well-disciplined 218-member Social Democratic faction in the Bundestag broke ranks. Their rebellion threatened to undermine Schmidt...
...would include 300 West German-made Leopard 2 tanks. In return, the Saudis promised to stabilize West German oil prices. Together with some party moderates, the leftists objected that the Saudi sale would violate West Germany's longstanding policy against supplying arms to "areas of tension" outside NATO. Schmidt stood firm. Karl-Heinz Hansen, an S.P.D. left-winger from Düsseldorf, went so far as to denounce Schmidt's policies as "filth...
Washington knew all about Tabatabai, who had been educated in West Germany. West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher had begun pressing Iran to release the hostages right after the embassy was seized. Genscher had his first secret contact with Tabatabai early last year in Belgrade at President Josip Broz Tito's funeral. Tabatabai subsequently, in February and March, made several trips to Bonn, one public and ostensibly on other business, the other secret, followed by additional secret trips by other Iranian envoys. West Germany's efforts were closely coordinated with Washington...