NATO Germans in Bosnia Said Involved with Neo-Nazis

BONN (December 20, 1997 12:18 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) - German soldiers serving with the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia have been involved in neo-Nazi activities, the weekly der Spiegel reported in its latest issue.

The weekly said a videotape made in April 1996 in the port of Sibenik showed a Bundeswehr non-commissioned officer holding a letter with a Nazi flag printed on it.

A former colleague told der Spiegel that the non-commissioned officer "is not the only neo-Nazi" among German soldiers in Bosnia and that neo-Nazi music was frequently played at parties.

The defense ministry said it was investigating the affair but that the non-commissioned officer had yet to be identified.

Meanwhile Christian Krause, 21-year-old son of a former transport minister, said in the Sunday edition of Bild that he had seen neo-Nazi incidents "regularly, about two or three times a month" while doing his military service.

He had come into contact with "at least three non-commissioned officers and three officers of neo-Nazi mentality" while serving in a parachute battalion in Varel from March to December, he said.

He mentioned hearing anti-Semitic and other objectionable remarks, such as "Jews should be gassed" or "foreigners out."

A defense ministry spokesman, Hans-Dieter Wichter, told Bild that the allegations would be checked "immediately and fully."

The German army has come under fire in recent weeks in connection with neo-Nazi incidents, including a 1995 speech to an officers' school by Manfred Roeder, a well-known neo-Nazi.