Chancellor Calls Germans 'Provincial'

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder on Wednesday accused his countrymen of being "provincial" in terms of international affairs and shirking from the country's new role on the world stage. "The domestic view of Germany is withdrawn into itself, occasionally provincial," Schröder told the daily Financial Times Deutschland. "I want to contribute to Germany taking on the proper measure of international perspective in this decade. The people in Germany have got to become aware that we should and must play a new role." Schröder said that some of Germany's economic, political and intellectual elites were not prepared for this new responsibility. Schröder's remarks came as Defense Minister Peter Struck, a close ally of the chancellor, appeared to soften Germany's opposition to sending troops to Iraq. (AFP)