US Ambassador to Berlin Says Europeans are Soft on Terror

In an interview with the local newspaper Hannoverschen Allgemeine Zeitung, US Ambassador to Germany William R. Timken warned Europeans not to underestimate the threat of terror.

"Europeans must be better prepared to deal such a menace," he said, suggesting that the old continent is unwilling to accept the notion that the events of Sept. 11 five years ago could recur.

US Ambassador praises work of CIA

The ambassador, an Ohio businessman who was appointed to Berlin in August of last year, praised the CIA, saying that its extraordinary undercover work has saved thousands of lives.

Last week President George W. Bush acknowledged the existence of secret CIA prisons outside of US territory, where key al-Qaeda figures have been held and interrogated since the Sept. 11 attacks. The announcement created a furor in Europe over human rights violations, with even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has boosted bilateral ties since assuming office last year, condemning the CIA operations.

Need to give up certain personal liberties

In fighting terror, Timken called on the need for Americans to give up "a small part of their civil liberties."

"We now live with the understanding that it will be a very, very long battle to resist the Islamists imposing their will on us. Saying such truths might be unpopular, but there is no other alternative," he said.

In a formal statement issued by the US Embassy in Berlin, Timken talked about being on Capitol Hill in Washington DC and driving past the burning Pentagon and the open field in Pennsylvania where Flight 093 was downed. "Each anniversary of September 11 stands as evidence that good continues to prevail over evil," he said.

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, the American Embassy will hold a memorial service in Berlin, which is to be attended by both Timken and German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.