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Janine Wissler: In all likelihood, she will take over the co-leadership of the left next Saturday
Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst / DPA
Janine Wissler has already expressed her rejection of the Bundeswehr's missions abroad in the past.
A week before the planned new election of the left party leadership, the likely future co-leader has made this position clear again.
"In contrast to other issues, I see no opportunity for compromises in the case of Bundeswehr missions," said the left-wing parliamentary group leader in Hesse and current deputy party leader of the "Tagesspiegel" (Sunday edition).
"There is no such thing as a little war." The left will not join a government that decides on foreign missions.
"In contrast to other questions, I see no opportunity for compromises in the case of Bundeswehr missions."
Janine Wissler
Wissler expressed himself in a double interview with her likely future co-chair, the Thuringian left leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow.
This showed itself to be open to peacekeeping missions under the umbrella of the United Nations.
"I can imagine certain classic blue helmet missions, like in Cyprus for example."
Such missions have to be looked at "in individual cases".
At the same time, Hennig-Wellsow campaigned for the left to see governance as an opportunity.
"The left must make a clear commitment to responsibility."
Wissler and Hennig-Wellsow will in all likelihood take over from the previous leadership duo Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger after almost nine years at the top left next Saturday.
The election should take place at an online party conference.
As things stand, there are no other promising candidates.
Left criticizes expansion of NATO operations in Iraq
On Friday, the planned expansion of the NATO mission in Iraq, which Germany supported, met with sharp criticism from the left.
"The Bundeswehr threatens to be sent into a new NATO war in Iraq," said Left Foreign Policy Officer Sevim Dagdelen.
The NATO defense ministers agreed on Thursday to expand the training of Iraqi troops regionally.
According to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, this could lead to the number of soldiers deployed increasing from the current 300 to around 4,000.
A combat mission is still excluded.
"The eightfold increase in the NATO military presence to support the US troops is a mockery of the Iraqi parliament, which has decided to withdraw all foreign soldiers completely," said Dagedelen.
The left demands the withdrawal of German soldiers from Iraq.
The current NATO training mission provides for an upper limit of 500 soldiers.
The expansion from 300 to 4,000 deployed soldiers would probably also involve the dispatch of further Bundeswehr soldiers, who are currently present with around 80 soldiers in Erbil in the Kurdish region.
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