Global Policy Forum

By Tony Paterson and Stephen Castle

Berlin: Thousands of demonstrators waving banners that read: "Not Welcome Mr War Criminal" overshadowed US President George Bush's first visit to Germany since the Iraq war yesterday, despite efforts by both sides to stress that their differences over the conflict belonged to the past.

Bush's nine-hour stop over in Mainz for fence mending talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder took place amid some of the strictest security measures ever enforced in Germany. The centre of the Rhineland city was turned into a fortified ghost town.

More than 15 000 police officers forbade inhabitants from going on to their balconies, sealed off autobahns and brought river traffic on the Rhine to a standstill. Thousands of employees, including staff at the city's nearby Opel car factory, stayed away from work for the day because the restrictions made it impossible for them to travel.

However, the draconian security measures failed to prevent more than 7 000 anti-Bush demonstrators from taking to the streets of the city to voice popular German opposition to his presidency. It was the largest protest against Bush since he embarked on his European tour on Monday. Andreas Atzl leader of the "Not Welcome Mr Bush" campaign insisted; "We simply want to tell Mr Bush that his illegal war against Iraq represents the wrong kind of politics."

The protests reflected widespread popular German opposition to Bush. One opinion poll published this week showed that four out of five Germans do not agree with the president's aim to promote democracy around the world. Another revealed that the Germans trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin more than his American counterpart.

The arrival of the presidential entourage caused havoc at the busy Frankfurt airport where Lufthansa alone cancelled 75 flights. Hundreds of other flights were delayed due to air space restrictions in force for Bush's stay. Predictably the protests were ignored by both Bush and Schroeder.