German Foreign Minister: We have all sinned, and lessons must be learned

INTERVIEW Maas: NATO decisions are made in Washington, and the alliance in Brussels does not have the right to express an opinion on them

• Heiko Maas.

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has been under fire since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, he spoke about the mistakes made and the danger of the rescue operation currently underway in Afghanistan, and how the largest possible number of Afghans fleeing the rule of the Taliban should be evacuated.

Here are excerpts from the conversation:

■ Have you thought about resigning during the past few days?

■■ believe it or not;

In the past few days, I've only been thinking about one thing, which is to learn from the mistakes we've all made, and to make sure as many people as possible get out of Afghanistan.

This is the duty of everyone involved in the developments in recent weeks.

■ You have said that the German government's assessment of the situation is incorrect.

This miscalculation led to chaos and despair in Afghanistan.

Ministers, in the past, have resigned from their posts for less than that.

■■ No one can seriously argue the existence of wrong judgments.

We will have to take a closer look at all of this, from the specific events of the past days and weeks, to the political issues that have been addressed in Germany, but also for the international community.

And the people in Afghanistan, they plead with us and they want one thing and that is help.

■ Now, do you think mistakes in the evacuation process can be corrected?

■■ Do not know whether everything can be remedied.

But the people at Kabul airport really expect us to take care of them and get them out of there.

And we want to help enable desperate people to catch up after they've made mistakes.

■ A serious eviction is underway.

Will you stay in your position if rescuers or local staff who worked with the German armed forces or other agencies are injured or killed?

■■ I have great respect for soldiers and women, as well as for other German police officers, diplomats and everyone else.

This is a very dangerous operation, but we have done everything we can to ensure that the evacuation continues, as other countries do, too.

■ What are the clear conclusions you draw from the disaster in Afghanistan?

■■ Besides the specific questions about what happened in the past days, weeks and months, there are big political questions: How do we want to take on international responsibility in the future?

For me, one thing is certain, that the result of this process is that we no longer have any international responsibility.

■ Do you think NATO should become more political?

■■ Yes, without a doubt.

You know, this is a discussion we've been talking about for a while.

Sometimes, the decisions of the "NATO" are taken de facto in Washington, and "NATO" in Brussels does not have any opportunity to express an opinion, but only activates the decisions.

And we need more political discussion before we send our soldiers anywhere.

Otherwise, we risk just following Washington's decisions, always, no matter who the president is there.

• "We need more political discussion before we send our soldiers anywhere."

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