Schroeder Sticks by Stance on Iraq

BERLIN –– Emboldened by his razor-thin victory in Germany's closest postwar election, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Monday stuck by his emphatic opposition to a war on Iraq after a campaign that angered Washington for unleashing anti-American tones.

Schroeder secured a second four-year mandate for his coalition with the small Greens party in Sunday's vote, but his majority in parliament was shaved to only nine seats from a previous 21.

His conservative rival, Edmund Stoiber, said that slender majority would not hold long.

"I predict that this Schroeder government will rule for only a very short time," Stoiber said.

He said Schroeder would face a reinvigorated opposition at a time when the chancellor will have to tackle problems such as chronic unemployment and slow economic growth. Schroeder was embarrassed by a failed promise to cut the jobless total to 3.5 million by election day.

Schroeder's victory handed Europe's dwindling left another boost a week after Social Democrats triumphed in Sweden. A jubilant Schroeder appeared arm-in-arm with Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of the Greens before cheering supporters in Berlin.

"We have hard times in front of us and we're going to make it together," Schroeder shouted.

Schroeder's outspoken opposition to a military conflict with Iraq was credited with giving him a late push in a tight campaign. But it provoked a rare open spat with the United States and accusations he whipped up emotions against a vital ally for electoral gain.

"What I criticize above all is that (Schroeder) opened the floodgates for anti-American tones," Stoiber said on German television, calling the crisis with the United States "the most devastating of the last 50 years."

Analysts expect Schroeder to adopt a softer tone after the election, but he showed no intention Monday of backing down. He has insisted he would not commit troops to a war in Iraq even if the United Nations backs military action.