Without firing a shot, masked German police commandos freed two senior diplomats from armed men who stormed the Iraqi embassy Monday, bringing a bloodless end to a five-hour occupation by a previously unknown group opposed to Saddam Hussein.
The group, calling itself the Democratic Iraqi Opposition of Germany, issued a statement saying the embassy occupation was designed to "make the German people, its organizations and political forces aware that our people have the will to freedom and will put it into practice."
Despite the lack of U.S. involvement, the group's actions could make Americans question the U.S. foreign policy towards Iraq.
Kevin Smith, professor of history, and Gene Frankland, professor of political science, said American foreign policy will not be affected.
"This event appears to have nothing to do with American foreign policy and it also appears this was not initiated by the U.S.," Smith said.
"This is obviously a group that is newly founded. It was unknown to authorities here," said Berlin Minister Ehrhart Koerting at a news conference. Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations said it was the first time they had heard of the group's name, but suggested another force was behind the occupation. "Certainly they have been pushed by somebody else, some government perhaps," Iraq's ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri told reporters in New York. "We don't know. But it seems like that." The possibility of outside influences initiating the attack will not be known until the group is interrogated, Smith said. Until then, speculation will serve as the only evidence of the group's motives. Smith said the event drew attention to the publicized efforts to remove Hussein from power. Frankland said it may be a ploy to sway public opinion. Smith suggested the possibility of the raid as an attempt to drive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to do something drastic that would result in action against him. But he doubts Hussein will react rashly. This occupation is different from those in the past, because the fringe group told officials from the beginning it did not intend to harm anyone, Smith said. Police said five men forced their way into the embassy, barricaded some of the interior doors and threatened the people inside with weapons - which also included a hatchet, an electric shock wand and two tear-gas guns. In the group's statement, it listed its action as "peaceful and limited in time," setting it aside from longer, bloodier standoffs. The 1979 occupation of the American Embassy in Tehran is an example of such a protest. The event led to the Iran Hostage Crisis, which lasted 444 days. Tuesday's occupation, lasting only five hours, was an assault on a location that both Smith and Frankland claim may be significant. The German government is not likely to react in an extreme manner. In this reaction, the difference between American and European approach to such a situation can be identified, Frankland said. "Germany has more friendly relations with Iraq," he said. "Most Americans would like to see Saddam Hussein gone, but Europeans may think we are moving too fast." Frankland said Europeans may see the U.S. as overreacting with Iraq relations. "Germany may want to let Iraq make changes without involving itself," he said. Smith said Germans are more open in questioning the U.S. desire to overthrow Hussein. "In the immediate aftermath of September 11, there was a great deal of sympathy toward the U.S.," Smith said. "That has not disappeared, but it has dissipated." Smith said some are unwilling to confront a possibility of the event occurring as a result of U.S. policy, a perspective some may deem unpatriotic. "If there is a gun pointed at you, it is not inappropriate to fire first," Smith said. "There are those who think we don't have the gun pointed at us."
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