Should this be denied?

Der Spiegel has an interesting story and a conudrum for German parliamentarians. Should they acknowledge the good work German agents have done in Iraq or not? So far the government has denied any German involvement and the parliamentary committee, investigating the German foreign intelligence service is being cautious as the newspaper dryly points out:

He would make the perfect witness. The tall, slim retired US general has nothing but good things to say about the Germans. He says they are "reliable" and extremely trustworthy. Most of all, though, he knows things that German parliamentarians would like to know.

But General James Marks is not a witness, nor is he ever likely to be one. The German parliamentary committee charged with investigating the German foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), prefers to question Germans in its effort to find out what role the agency played during the Iraq war. Those asked to testify tend to be government employees and, therefore, dependent on the government. Americans have not thus far been summoned. Indeed, no effort to do so has been made.

Yet, General Marks's praises of those German agents he had to work with would make the most crustily neutralist politician preen himself on behalf of his country and its heroes.

Read the whole piece. Nice pix, too.