Monday, German President Horst Koehler resigned over comments he made about Germany’s participation in Afghanistan that received serious disapproval. Horst Koehler said that his comments were misunderstood.
On May 22, Koehler returned from Afghanistan and said that "in emergencies military intervention is necessary to uphold our interests, like for example free trade routes, for example to prevent regional instabilities which could have a negative impact on our chances in terms of trade, jobs and income."
Koehler later said that he was speaking about protecting shipping routes along the Gulf of Aden against pirates (as an example) and was not referencing Germany's function in Afghanistan. Germany currently has over 4,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Koehler, 67, said that his comments were misunderstood and the criticism made over those comments demonstrated a lack of respect for the president's office. He also said that he was sorry his comments lead to a misunderstanding about a difficult question for the nation, according to the BBC.
Koehler was re-elected in 2009 to serve his second five-year term.
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Sources: BBC and CNN
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