Bush Visit Sign of Closer US-German Relations

Merkel invited Bush to visit her electoral ward in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania during a trip to Washington earlier this year. Bush, accompanied by his wife Laura, will arrive late on Wednesday before meeting with Merkel in the historical Baltic port town of Stralsund on Thursday.

Merkel said in an interview on RTL television on Monday that it was important for Bush to see for himself the "changes and problems" caused by the reunification of Germany in 1990.

As well as Stralsund, Bush will also visit the neighboring towns of Heiligendamm and Trinwillershagen during his two-day stop-over before heading to the G8 summit in Russia.

Merkel, who grew up in eastern Germany, said Bush's trip would help "complete the picture" of the country.

Better personal relations

Dr. Andreas Etges from the Berlin-based John F. Kennedy Institute for North America studies thinks Bush's visit to Stralsund is a "definite sign of the improving personal relations between the two leaders."

"Bush's relationship with (former chancellor) Gerhard Schröder was beyond redemption," said Etges, "and this visit is a symbol that he is interested in Merkel's personal biography."

Although the two disagree on issues such as the Guantanamo Bay prison, they have cooperated closely on trying to get Iran to end its nuclear program.

According to Etges, Bush's visit also shows that US needs Germany as a diplomatic partner.

Relations between the US and Italy have cooled since former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a close Bush ally, was defeated in April elections. In addition, British Prime Tony Blair's attention is increasingly caught up with shoring up his failing popularity at home. This leaves Merkel as one of the dominant players on the US-Europe stage, Etges said.

Not everybody is thrilled by visit

Officials in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is governed by a coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party and the far-left Left Party, are miffed that they might have to foot the bill for ballooning security costs and the deployment of some 12,500 police to the region.

The feeling is that because Merkel, a Christian Democrat, invited Bush, the federal government should shoulder the majority of the costs.

Or as Harald Ringstorff, the state premier put it, "the one who orders the music should pay for it."

Estimates for the entire security operation run from 11 to up to 20 million euros ($15 - 25 million).

Waste of money?

The enormity of the sum for a two-day visit has horrified residents in Stralsund, where unemployment fluctuates between 20 and 30 percent.

For Eginhard Gieber, the manager of the St. Nikolai Evangelical Church Centre in Stralsund, Bush's visit makes "no sense" given the "enormous poverty in the region."

"You could build a whole new children's home with all that money," he said.

Other residents are annoyed by the extensive security measures during the visit. No cars are allowed to be parked in the historical city center; bicycles have to be stored inside; mail boxes will be sealed for the day; and all outdoor flowerpots have to be dismantled.

Streets cleared for president's visit

Despite their efforts, the majority of Stralsund's 58,000 residents won't get to see the president. Only 1,200 specially invited guests will be allowed to gather in the center.

Engineer Heiko Lawrenz from Stralsund plans to escape to a building site for the day. "You have to be inside from eight in the morning, and can't open a window or come out until the president leaves," he fumed. "I can't make any appointments, and it will impossible to work."

Then of course, there is the thorny issue of Bush's politics. "Not much" was Lawrenz's response when asked what he thought of the US president.

Members of the association "Not Welcome, Mr. President" are expecting thousands of anti-war campaigners to turn up on Thursday. However, Monty Schädel, one of the organizers, said that because Stralsund is so out of the way, she expects the protest to be much smaller than the rallies held during Bush's visit to the central German town of Mainz in February, 2005. Then, an estimated 12,000 protesters took to the streets.