The 23rd Manfred Wörner Seminar
Berlin, 18.08.2005.
From 28 May to 6 June 2005, the participants, half of them from Germany, the other half from the USA, visited Berlin, Bonn und Brussels. The aim was to gain insights into the security issues and relations that determine German-American and Euro-American relations.
The highlights of the seminar consisted of meetings with outstanding public figures who answered the questions posed by the group. Again this year, Elfie Wörner, Manfred Wörner’s widow, availed herself of the opportunity to spend some time with the participants.
The Reichstag provided an opportune setting for meetings with former President Richard von Weizsäcker as well as Hans-Ulrich Klose, Member of the German Bundestag. The major highlight in the program was the meeting with Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the Federal Chancellery. Prior to this, the group discussed Germany’s place in the international context with Bernd Mützelburg, the Federal Chancellor's advisor on security and foreign policy.
During the second stage, the trip to Brussels, the focus shifted to the transatlantic partnership at European level. The failed referendum on the European Constitution in France and the Netherlands provided topical subject matter for the many questions of the participants. A question repeatedly put to almost all speakers was: “What advice would you give the US President in the current situation?" The answers often included "More cooperation and transatlantic communication."The actual program wound up with a visit to the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). Here, the transformation of society in the Balkans in the aftermath of the civil wars was one of the main topics dealt with, another being private companies that provide military or general security services abroad. Both sides were equally impressed by the developments described.
At the end of the seminar, all participants were presented with certificates by Brigadier General Jörg Sohst, Deputy Commander, Armed Forces Office, with gifts being handed over to the hosts. This marked the end of an outstanding and eventful ten days.
Program
Saturday, 28 May
| 17:15 hrs | Welcome extended by Colonel GS Gerd Müller, Head of Public Relations Branch, Armed Forces Office |
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| 19:00 hrs | Dinner at Officers’ Mess, Julius Leber Barracks |
Sunday, 29 May
| 13:00 hrs | Departure for city tour “Historical and Political Berlin” |
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| 16:00 hrs | Visit to Bendler-Block "German Resistance Memorial Center" |
Monday, 30 May
| 09:00 hrs | Talks/Discussions with members of the Federal Ministry of Defense |
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| 12:00 hrs | Lunch at visitors’ mess of the Federal Ministry of Defense |
| 15:30 hrs | Visit to Bundeswehr Operations Command, Potsdam |
Tuesday, 31 May
| 08:30 hrs | Visit to the Reichstag (German Bundestag) |
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| 10:00 hrs | Talks/Discussions with Members of the German Bundestag |
| 12:00 hrs | Lunch at the Reichstag with Members of the German Bundestag |
| 14:15 hrs | Departure for Federal Chancellery |
| 14:45 hrs | Briefing and Discussion, guided tour of Federal Chancellery |
| 17:00 hrs | Departure for Rostock/Warnemünde |
Wednesday, 01 June
| 08:00 hrs | Program with the German Navy (Fast Patrol Boat Flotilla) |
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| 13:00 hrs | Departure for Brussels |
Thursday, 02 June
| 09.00 hrs | Visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels |
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| 13.00 hrs | Lunch at the NATO restaurant |
| 18.30 hrs | Departure for the European Parliament |
| 19.30 hrs | Dinner Round Table (in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation) |
Friday, 03 June
| 09:30 hrs | Visit to the European Commission |
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| 09:45 hrs | Welcome and Presentation of the EU Program |
| 12:30 hrs | Lunch, Host: EU Commission |
| 14:00 hrs | Departure for Bonn |
| 17:30 hrs | Arrival at Bonn, Gustav-Stresemann-Institut |
Saturday, 04 June
| 10:00 hrs | Discussion on "Tasks of the Bonn International Conversion Center" |
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| 12:30 hrs | Lunch at Gustav-Stresemann-Institut |
| 15:00 hrs | Tour of Bonn on foot |
| 18:00 hrs | American barbecue in the gardens of the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut |
| 20:00 hrs | Farewell/Presentation of certificates to the participants by the Commander, Armed Forces Office Official close of the seminar |
Sunday, 05 June
| 13:00 hrs | Visit to "Haus der Geschichte" (Museum of German History) |
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| 15:00 hrs | Departure for Cologne |
| 15:30 hrs | Departure for Cologne |
Monday, 06 June
| 08:30 hrs | Return journey |
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