德國總統宣佈辭職

簡訊：德國總統宣佈辭職
更新時間 2010年 5月 31日, 格林尼治標準時間12:58
德國總統霍斯特·克勒周一（31日）宣佈將辭去他的職務。

此前，他對德國在阿富汗的軍事參與所發表的言論受到不少批評。

克勒在接受一次電台採訪時把德國參與海外軍事使命是為了維護德國的貿易利益。
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/trad/world/2010/05/100531_brief_german_president.shtml

德國總統克勒失言宣布即時辭職
(商台)2010年5月31日 星期一 20:55
德國 總統克勒由於失言，宣布即時辭職，他早前表示，德國依賴外貿，有必要時要軍事介入，以保障德國國家利益，克勒說，對有關言論引發誤解，表示遺憾。

克勒在去年當選連任總統，德國總統在名義上是國家元首，但並無實際行政權力，主要主持國家禮儀活動，及將國會通過的法案簽署成為法律。
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/100531/18/ibyf.html

德國總統克勒退出正值軍事爭嗌
German President Koehler quits amid row over military
Page last updated at 12:55 GMT,
Monday, 31 May 2010 13:55 UK
Mr Koehler previously headed the International Monetary Fund
克勒先生以前領導國際貨幣基金組織

German President Horst Koehler says he is resigning immediately, following criticism of remarks he made about German military deployments abroad.

Mr Koehler, whose job is largely ceremonial, had linked missions such as the Afghanistan deployment with the defence of economic interests.

His remarks drew criticism from a number of German politicians.

Mr Koehler, 67, was re-elected last year to serve a second five-year term as president.

He made the controversial remarks in a radio interview after a brief visit to Afghanistan earlier this month.

He said that for an export-orientated country like Germany, it was sometimes necessary to deploy troops "to protect our interests... for example free trade routes".

Announcing his resignation on Monday, he said "it was an honour for me to serve Germany as president".

Unpopular deployment

With his wife standing next to him, he said he regretted that his comments could lead to a misunderstanding about a difficult question for the nation.

Jens Boehrnsen, speaker of the parliament's upper house (Bundesrat), will be interim president. He is in the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Berlin says Mr Koehler's remarks about military missions led to accusations of gunboat diplomacy and embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. It has come under strong popular pressure to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Mr Koehler's shock decision could hardly have come at a worst time, our correspondent says. Polls show that the government's approval rating has plummeted to a four-year low, mainly due to its management of the eurozone crisis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10198036.stm

德國總統突然宣布辭職 默克爾:嚇了一跳