The German cabinet approved a plan yesterday to deploy up to 3,900 soldiers to the war in Afghanistan. But there is growing worry about parliamentary deputies, who will have the final say on military action next week, that voting in favour of the plan could weaken their constitutionally-protected veto.
In spite of the yesterday's unanimous approval by the Social Democrat-Green cabinet, it is certain that at least eight Green Party members, and even some SPD members, will vote against German military involvement in the war.
Green Party co-leader, Mr Fritz Kuhn, said there is "open revolt" within the party against German military involvement from party members unhappy with Chancellor Gerhard Schr÷der's self-proclaimed "unlimited solidarity" with the US.
Prominent Green politicians have called for a ceasefire in Afghanistan to allow aid workers help refugees in the country. But the Bundestag could approve the proposal even without Green support, because of support pledged by the conservatives and the liberals.
The German constitution requires the government to seek parliamentary approval for each deployment of the German army, a point reinforced by the constitutional court in 1994.
One SPD defence spokesman said he feared that by voting in favour of the proposal, deputies were writing a "blank cheque" for 12 months of military action, conducted at the discretion of the government rather than parliament.
Mr Schr÷der rejected a request from conservative leaders to restrict the length of the initial deployment to six months and told them to "think it over again".
According to the cabinet request, troops could be deployed not just to Afghanistan, but also possibly to the Arabian peninsula, middle and central Asia and north-east Africa, but "only with the agreement of the respective governments".
Troops will be deployed in stages, with the majority monitoring sea traffic and transporting materials.
Others will operate German-built military vehicles which detect contamination from chemical and biological weapons.
