ISLAMABAD, MAY 4 (KUNA) -- GERMANY HAS NO PERMANENT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN EXCEPT SURVEILLANCE AND ASSISTANCE TO THE COALITION AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM TILL THE TERMINATION OF OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, A GERMAN NAVAL COMMANDER OBSERVED HERE ON SATURDAY. COMMANDER OF THE GERMAN NAVY TRAINING TASK GROUP COMMANDER THORSTEN KAHLER WAS BRIEFING NEWSMEN TODAY ONBOARD ONE OF THE TWO GERMAN FRIGATES - MECKLENBURG VORPOMMERN AND RHEINFAND PFALZ - BERTHED AT KARACHI HARBOUR. "WE ARE VISITING NINE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, EXERCISING WITH FOREIGN NAVIES WHILE PRACTICING OUR SKILLS AT SEA," THE COMMANDER TOLD NEWSMEN, ASSEMBLED IN THE BRIDGE OF AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD FRIGATE MECKLENBURG VORPOMMERN, ARMED WITH VERTICAL LAUNCH SYSTEM. ACCORDING TO HIM, THE FRIGATES ARE PROTECTED FROM ANY NUCLEAR OR BIOLOGICAL THREAT HAVING UNIQUE PRESSURE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, HE CLARIFIED THAT IT MUST BE VIEWED AS SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES OTHERWISE THE FRIGATES ARE ON TRAINING MISSION. STARTING OFF ITS VOYAGE FROM WILHELMSHAVEN, THE TWO FRIGATES HAVE SO FAR TOUCHED GREEK PORT IN SOUDA, WHERE THE GERMAN NAVAL PERSONNEL TOOK PART IN LIVE MISSILE EXERCISES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE, ALL 204 GERMAN NAVAL PERSONNEL, INCLUDING FEMALES FOR THE FIRST TIME, WILL BE GIVEN 'REALISTIC TRAINING FOR THEIR FUTURE WORKPLACE'. ANSWERING A QUERY, COMMANDER KAHLER MAINTAINED THAT THE SHIFT IN GERMAN NAVAL MOVEMENT FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE INDIAN OCEAN WAS ALL DUE TO OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. GERMANY IS ENGAGED IN AN ONGOING OPERATION NEAR THE INDIAN OCEAN UNLIKE ITS ENGAGEMENTS IN NORTH ATLANTIC, HE ADDED. THE GERMAN SUPREME COURT IN 1994 ALLOWED GERMAN ARMED FORCES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE UN-MANDATED WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS. "BEFORE THE UNIFICATION WE WERE RELUCTANT TO JOIN ANY FOREIGN MISSION," HE ADDED. "NOW WE ARE ENGAGED IN MULTIPURPOSE PEACEKEEPING AND HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS AT THE SEA." COMMANDER THORSTEN KAHLER SAID THE GERMAN NAVY HAD 32,000 MEN BEFORE THE UNIFICATION BUT LATER IT STARTED SHRINKING WITH THE DISMANTLING OF EAST GERMAN NAVY. "NOW WE HAVE 20,000-24,000 NAVAL MEN IN OUR NAVY," HE ADDED. COMMANDER KAHLER SAID HIS COUNTRY DID NOT GO FOR NUCLEAR CAPABILITY RATHER STARTED GETTING RID OF ITS NUCLEAR PLANTS. ASKED WHETHER GERMAN NAVY OWNED ANTI-AIRCRAFT CARRIER OR WILLING TO ACQUIRE, HIS ANSWER WAS STRAIGHT AND SIMPLE: "WE DON'T HAVE ANY...AS IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR US TO AFFORD." COMMANDER KAHLER SAID GERMAN ARMED FORCES HAD DONE MINESWEEPING IN THE BALTIC STATES, WHERE MINE RELICS COULD BE DATED BACK TO THE WORLD WAR I AND II. HE SAID SIMILAR MINESWEEPING OPERATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN THE ADRIATIC SEA AND IN THE GULF. COMMANDER KAHLER SAID GERMAN NAVAL MISSIONS HAD BEEN VISITING PAKISTAN FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND HE WAS PART OF ONE SUCH TRAINING MISSION IN 1984. "I RECALL FRIENDLY PEOPLE AROUND KNOWN FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY AND I EXPECT THE SAME NOW." GERMAN AMBASSADOR DR CHRISTOPH BRUMMER MAINTAINED THAT THE ARRIVAL OF THE TWO FRIGATES AT KARACHI WAS PERSONALLY GRATIFYING FOR HIM TO RELATE TO AS LANDING IN KARACHI AS A NAVAL OFFICER IN 1964. HE MENTIONED THAT HIS SHIP WAS COINCIDENTALLY BERTHED AT THE SAME, BUT A WOODEN PIER, WHERE THE TWO FRIGATES WERE GIVEN BERTH ON FRIDAY. "IT IS PERFECTLY SUITABLE CONDITION TO BE HERE AGAIN WHEN PAKISTAN IS PARTNER IN COALITION AGAINST TERROR." EARLIER, THE COMMANDING OFFICERS OF THE GERMAN WARSHIPS COMMANDER FRANK MENGE AND COMMANDER MICHAEL PLATTAU CALLED ON COMMANDER PAKISTAN FLEET VICE-ADMIRAL SHAHID KARIMULLAH. THEY EXCHANGED VIEWS ON MATTERS OF PROFESSIONAL INTEREST.
THE VISITING GERMAN NAVAL OFFICERS ALSO CALLED ON COMMANDER KARACHI REAR ADMIRAL MUHAMMAD HAROON AND COMMANDER LOGISTICS REAR ADMIRAL MUSHTAQ AHMAD AT THEIR RESPECTIVE HEADQUARTERS.
THEY DISCUSSED THE MATTERS OF COMMON INTEREST. THE TWO FRIGATES WOULD LEAVE KARACHI ON MAY 8 FOR INDIAN PORT OF MORMUGAO, WHILE CRUISING BACK HOME AFTER MAKING STOPOVER AT MANILA, TSINGTAO IN CHINA, INOCHON IN KOREA, TOKYO, SINGAPORE, COCHIN IN INDIA AND MALAGA IN SPAIN. (END) MYK.FS