"It's not that there's too much America, there's not enough Europe. Europe is especially strong in matters which are not purely military. That can be seen in the Balkans, and is also true in Afghanistan," Fischer said in an interview with Swiss weekly NZZ am Sonntag published Sunday.

Germany is jointly leading the international security force in Afghanistan.

"The danger does not go away after a military solution, quite the opposite," he said. "We must win the peace when the war is over militarily."

A scenario similar to that in Afghanistan was possible in Iraq, he said, with the coalition establishing security so that humanitarian aid could get in. Nevertheless, he said, the United Nations must play a central role.

He went on to describe the debate over the attribution of lucrative reconstruction contracts in Iraq as "macabre".

Fischer also reaffirmed the German government's pre-war position, saying that possibilities for a peaceful solution had not been exhausted prior to military intervention.

"Our position has always been that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator... it is good that (the regime) has collapsed. But the price to be paid for that is high. Now we must win the peace."

SPACE.WIRE