Germany agonises at death of soldier

THE German Defence Minister, Volker Ruhe, warned yesterday that the death of a German lieutenant with the United Nations force in Cambodia - the first-ever death of a German soldier during a UN mission - 'must not be allowed to become a political dispute'. But the political worries were clear.

The participation of German forces in UN operations is one of the most controversial foreign-policy issues in Germany. The opposition Social Democrats (SPD) argue that Germany, because of its history, should be wary of allowing its soldiers to be involved in military operations abroad. The government argues that it is essential for Germany to shoulder its full responsibilities, if asked by the UN to participate.

The SPD leader, Rudolf Scharping, said yesterday that the death of Alexander Arndt, 26, a medical orderly, was 'a clear reminder of the politicians' duty to consider carefully the high risk for soldiers' lives'.

Gunter Verheugen, the SPD party manager, said that the Social Democrats did not object to the presence of German troops in Cambodia, but that Somalia - where German troops are also stationed - was another matter. 'In that case, the reaction to a death would be quite different, because the gov ernment is just misusing the army in order to demonstrate its political will.'

Arndt, together with the 140 other German soldiers in Phnom Penh, was due to leave Cambodia next month. On Thursday evening, he was driving in civilian clothes with a colleague, on their way for dinner, when he was shot by a passenger on a passing motorcycle. According to one account, the UN vehicle had splashed the motorcycle when driving through a puddle, but this was officially denied.

Arndt's death has given a new focus to the growing worries about the German presence in Somalia. On the one hand, there is the official Social Democrat concern about German soldiers becoming involved in fighting, because 'war should never again begin from German soil'.

Klaus Kinkel, the German Foreign minister, said yesterday: 'The Bundeswehr (German army) has helped out in tens of thousands of cases, without once being attacked. This (the Cambodian death) is a one-off case.' But Norbert Gansel, the SPD defence spokesman, called yesterday for the German government to 'bring our boys (in Somalia) safely back home'.