The Chancellery and the Defense Ministry have drawn up the draft, as Spiegel reported in an advance notice on Wednesday. The cabinet could approve the text as early as next week, provided the government leadership makes a political decision by then.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) had previously insisted on an international mandate as a prerequisite for sending German soldiers, preferably a UN resolution. However, a swift UN Security Council resolution on a security mission is currently not in sight. A new EU mandate or an amendment to existing mandates is also unlikely to be accomplished within a few days.
The ministries therefore propose to rely on a UN resolution adopted on March 11, which was introduced by Bahrain. The text refers to the Strait of Hormuz in several passages and reaffirms the right of UN member states to defend their ships against attacks. The German government considers this resolution sufficient as a legal basis for a Bundestag mandate.
A possible Bundeswehr involvement is to be limited to mine clearance. The deployment of armed special forces on board civilian ships is not planned. The coalition factions of the CDU/CSU and SPD were to be briefed on the plans on Wednesday; the faction leaders have already been informed.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
