A Feb. 23 meeting in Mainz has been scheduled between President Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, according to several German media reports, which also stated that Bush might visit U.S. troops at nearby Wiesbaden Army Airfield.
The German reports quoted regional and national officials. The White House previously had announced Bush’s plan to visit Germany following the Feb. 22 meetings in Brussels, Belgium, with NATO and European Union leaders.
But two military spokespersons in Wiesbaden — Army Maj. Michael Indovina of the Wiesbaden-based 1st Armored Division and Donna Dean, public affairs officer for the 221st Base Support Battalion — both said they were unaware of any plan for the president to come there.
A State Department spokesman also said he did not know if Bush was coming to the Frankfurt area.
“All the details are being worked out as far as we know,” said Jeff Arnold, the assistant public affairs officer at the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt. “We’re not going to say anything until the White House announces further details. We’re anxiously awaiting.”
Bush has not visited Germany since May 2002, where he faced large anti-war demonstrations during a trip to Berlin.
Schroeder was a vocal opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. His country, however, has a large number of troops serving in the multinational security coalition in Afghanistan.
According to the White House, after his visit to Germany, Bush is expected to travel to Slovakia, where he will meet with that country’s leaders as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
