Interview with Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in the Bild newspaper on 7 November 2009

Bild: Mr Westerwelle, you’ve been Foreign Minister for ten days now. Are you enjoying your new job …?

Westerwelle: It’s a very special moment when you achieve something you’ve worked long and hard for. After a week and five trips I’m grateful, somewhat exhausted but very satisfied with my lot. By the way, I’ve never understood those politicians who pretend their office is a terrible burden. It’s no problem for me to say: yes, I enjoy this job.

Have there been moments when you thought: Oh – what would Genscher have done ...?

Yes, there have and they will occur again. Hans-Dietrich Genscher is a great role model. I want to carry on his good tradition by showing more respect for our small partners in Europe. And I would like to develop the same deep friendship we already have with our Western partners also with our Eastern neighbours.

The Chancellor’s speech to the US Congress on Tuesday won her many plaudits – to what extent is Angela Merkel allowed to encroach on your patch?

That the Chancellor was invited to speak to Congress was an honour not only for her personally but for all Germans. Angela Merkel and I are partners – also in foreign policy. This Government is not a shotgun marriage as the CDU/SPD coalition was but, rather, a coalition which both sides wanted. The successes we achieve will be joint successes.

What’s the Westerwelle project for foreign policy?

German foreign policy is peace policy. That sounds like a given, but it isn’t. We act every day as if the fact that Germany lives in peace is a matter of course. The truth is that even my own parents’ generation experienced the war. And when I first travelled abroad as a young man – I went camping in Holland, France and Italy – Europe was divided by a deadly border. Thankfully, the division of Europe has been overcome and thankfully the freedom-loving Germans from the former GDR tore down the Wall. We should be grateful for that every day.

During the election campaign you called for the US to withdraw its nuclear weapons from Germany. How did Secretary of State Clinton react to that?

We have to work together for peace. We agree with President Obama and his Administration that our goal must be disarmament. And I pointed out once more that we don’t intend to follow a separate course. We want to reach an agreement together within NATO on ways to advance disarmament.

Your cabinet colleague zu Guttenberg spoke about the “war” in Afghanistan for the first time this week. Do you agree with his views?

He said that he can understand any German soldier there who feels he is fighting a war. It was right to say so.

We have to be up front and honest with our citizens about the situation. Now we want to set realistic goals with our allies and outline how we want to achieve self-sustaining security in Afghanistan. Hillary Clinton and I are in full agreement on that.

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Interview conducted by Rolf Kleine and Jan Schäfer