German Court OKs Troops in Somalia
BONN — Germany’s highest court ruled Wednesday that German troops can remain in Somalia, boosting Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s efforts to make Germany a full partner in U.N. peacekeeping.
The Constitutional Court’s decision could help Germany’s chances of gaining a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council.
The court said that Parliament must vote on Germany’s role in the humanitarian mission in Somalia and future German military operations overseas. But since the government has a majority in Parliament, a vote would be a formality.
It was a defeat for the opposition Social Democrats, who had asked the court to stop the deployment of 1,700 troops, saying it violated the 1949 constitution written to keep Germany out of another war.
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