Steinmeier shifts stance on troop pullout

Germany should start pulling out of Afghanistan in the next four years, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister and main challenger to Chancellor Angela Merkel in the September 2009 general election has said, in a U-turn that could influence the vote’s outcome.

ESO: Background information: Germany: Parliamentary Election, 27 September 2009 (Federal Election) http://www.europeansources.info/record/germany-parliamentary-election-27-september-2009-federal-election/

ESO: Background information: Merkel faces down Afghanistan criticism http://www.europeansources.info/record/merkel-faces-down-afghanistan-criticism/

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