GERMAN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE SEEKS A ROLE IN COMBATTING IMMIGRATION
On 28 October, the German Foreign Intelligence Service, BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst), held a symposium on "illegal migration". The meeting was held in the Munich suburb of Pullach where the BND has its headquarters and was, in contrast with the agency's prevailing practice, partly open to the public.
The BND's new interest for public relations reflects the drive for broader public support of an agency whose usefulness has been the subject of growing debate in Germany since the end of the Cold War. The BND is keen to put an end to this debate once and for all, by seeking a role in the fight against "illegal immigration" - a field of action popular with the public.
400 guests, including the "high society" of the country's police, the army, and the internal intelligence service BVS (Bundesverfassungsschutz), as well as colleagues from 54 countries, several German MPs and journalists, attended the symposium.
Opening the conference, the recently appointed president of the BND, August Hanning, told his audience that "illegal migration is a global problem posing a growing threat to many Western European States" and that "the challenge represented by illegal immigration can only be met by a joint effort of all State forces".
Tellingly, no representative of the German border protection force, BGS (Bundesgrenzschutz), traditionally the prime player in the fight against illegal immigration, was among the guests welcomed by the BND President. This hints at some rivalry between various security authorities which are all under the same pressure to prove their continued usefulness at a time when security threats and interests are being redefined.
Speaking to journalists at the symposium, the Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Cornelia Sonntag-Wolgast said she was "surprised" last year by BND expertise on illegal immigration. In her speech she implicitly referred to inter-service rivalry. She said problems encountered by the BND in cooperating with other services were due to "prejudice and fear of contact". Ms Sonntag-Wolgast also seized the opportunity to unequivocally reject calls by some Social Democratic MPs for a more liberal law on immigration.
During the lunch break, the unusually affable BND chief told journalists tales out of school. Hanning boasted about how easy it was to buy a visa for EU countries in the Islamabad market. He said that, in combatting immigration, the BND concentrates on action "on the spot", i.e in countries of origin, and strives for "improved information transfer between all partners". Hanning also emphasised the need for "preventive crisis management" as the most effective means of curbing migration. However, his subsequent explanations left no doubt that he was not referring to measures addressing the root causes of migration, but to long-established repressive action such as the dismantling of routes of migration and flight.
Another prominent speaker was Jonas Widgren, the Swedish director of the International Centre for Migration Policy (ICMP) in Vienna. Once again, Widgren made one of his innumerable calls for "concerted international action" against "illegal immigration" from southeastern Europe. Widgren credited the Budapest process (informal intergovernmental cooperation structure on migration policies and border control, initiated in the early 90s by Germany) for progress made in the field.
Our correspondent Stephan Dünnwald attended the symposium and commented as follows on its outcome: "The BND is unlikely to play a lead role in the field of migration prevention in the near future. But the BND's role, as presented at the symposium, confirms a trend towards combatting migration back in the countries of origin. This task is, however, already being performed with great zealousness by the BGS (border protection)".
Source: Report from Stephan Dünnwald, Munich, 1.11.99; contact: Stephan.Duennwald@LRZ.UNI-MUENCHEN.DE