♪ >> welcome to the eternal. i am brian thomas in berlin. >> and i am peter with the business news. >> support bill said an eu summit with the german proposals to trade the list of trading. german parliament was to extend a life of the nuclear power plants. the death toll from the tsunami in and new shut rises to more than 350 with hundreds still missing. -- in indonesia to more than 350 with hundreds still missing. >> the european union has backed

calls by germany and france to shore up europe's defenses against any new possible financial crises. at a summit in brussels, eu leaders approved calls to set up a permanent system to bill eurozone states of a possible financial trouble. the plan will protect europe and threats like those faced by greece earlier this year. >> chancellor merkel appeared confident of winning as she arrived to the negotiations. together with her ally in the matter, french president nicolas sarkozy, she hopes to persuade the other leaders to agree to changes to the lisbon treaty. to protect the euro in times of financial crisis. >> i want to emphasize here that in my view, policy which endangers the bureau as a whole is policy which shakes the foundations of the european union. so we will discuss this very controversial topic, and i will keep it on the agenda.

>> most eu member states the advantages in introducing such a permanent crisis mechanism, which would also force private creditors to help out. but the franco-german call for deficit offenders to lose voting ghts has proved to be widely controversial. >> those are not saying that germany and france will fail. suggesting that despite all the agreements to the suggestion that we need a permanent crisis mechanism, there is no consensus for the idea of the voting rights for deficit countries could be withdrawn. >> angela merkel and nicholas sarkozy are working hard as they try to achieve unanimous endorsement of their proposals. >> for much more, let's go live to our correspondent at that summit. jeff, quite a change over the last 24 hours. can you fill us in on some of the new details? >> it shows you with the franco- german alliance can do when it

dries. when we think there's no question of reopening this treaty 10 days ago. basically, there is support for angela merkel. not so much for the voting rights thing. that is a very contentious. but as i have been saying, the was never any doubt to the people agreed with the reasons behind the german chancellors decision to reopen the treaty. the big question that remains tonight is, do we have to reopen this treaty with solid kymmene for extended renegotiations, but the convention? we have to do that to achieve what the german chancellor ones. or can it be done by much more cynical procedure which will need a few meetings and signatures and we do not have the public relations disaster of reopening the treaty? what is happening at the summit is the chairman of the summit is being sent away with a mandate to look at all those options, how to achieve what it is a german chancellor wants to

achieve. and then it may take months for him to do that. but there is still pressure tonight at the summit to avoid reopening the treaty. yes, tried to do with the german chancellor wants, because they agree it is needed. a permanent crisis mechanism, maybe not the suspension of voting rights. look first and civic can be done without opening the treaty. >> what about ireland, portugal, and spain, they already have high deficits. can they put in place government spending projects to create jobs now or is that impossible? >> well, it can be done. but i think this summit is being driven by the bigger countries. obviously germany, france, great britain, and others. yes, they can of the smaller countries are looking at this very closely to see what the implications are of any changes that might be made. it is in everyone's interest to make sure there's a permanent mechanism in place to ballade countries that need bailing out.

we did not know the greek crisis was limited two years ago. it can happen again to anyone, especially in an economic recession still continuing. there is support behind this. but no so much support your angela merkel's apparent readiness to reopen the treaty at whatever cost. >> thank you for that update from the summit in brussels french rail and air transportation workers are staging a protest against pension reforms, although legislation on raising the minimum retirement age was not adopted by the national assembly yesterday. the strikers are causing widespread travel disruptions adopted half of all flights and train services have been canceled. legislation has to be signed into law by president sarkozy and raises the official retirement age to 62 in france. over the last two months, millions of people have taken part in protests and strikes against the reforms. here in germany, parliament has bowed to extend the life of the country's nuclear power plants.

the opposition party rejected a proposal to keep the 17 nuclear power plants on line for an average of 12 years longer than was permitted under law passed just a decade ago. they say they will challenge the vote in a constitutional court case. >> as the nuclear protesters gathered outside the parliament, but as expected, chancellor angela merkel's center government has enough support to extend the life span of nuclear plants in germany. during an almost six-hour long debate ahead of the boat, the opposition accused the government of steamrolling the bill through parliament. >> you were trampling over the rights of the minority. you are trying to avoid the second chamber. you are in breach of the constitution. you are dividing a society already in agreement. that is the result of your policies. >> on average, germany's nuclear

reactors will be allowed to operate for 12 years longer. the opposition says there are security concerns, but the government said the extension is necessary for the transition to renewable energy. >> this is about active climate protection, about ensuring the reliability of energy supply, and about affordable energy. >> your stoking fear because it serves the country? no, you think your party will benefit. you underestimate the intelligence and responsible nature of the voters. >> members of the greens were black to express disapproval. the opposition and several german states have vowed to keep up the fight and said it will take their case to the constitutional court. they want a vote in the upper house where the governing coalition does not have a majority. >> a new book that shows our former nazi officers kept their jobs in the german foreign ministry after world war ii has been released in berlin. over 880 pages, it documents of

the respected institution managed to cover up this part of its past for decades. even though germany has subjected the nazi era to intense scrutiny, the foreign ministry was largely immune. in 2005, then it foreign ministry demanded the review. >> the committee officials have been over there finding stood with the german foreign minister. four years of research went into entering the extent to which german diplomats colluded with the nazi regime. >> there's nothing to justify and nothing to gloss over. this book will leave an impression on everyone. it shames us of the foreign ministry and many of its associates brought heavy guilt upon themselves during the nazi or ashamed. >> the report says german diplomat stated in the murder of millions of european jews.

in bed a after the war, the minister actively tried to keep its nazi past quiet. >> a version of history was developed at intentionally aborted the dip like that -- diplomatic corps is not the past. marginalized the extent of their involvement. >> the report will not become mandatory reading for aspiring diplomats. the minister plans to continue researching its past in order to fulfil its historic responsibility. >> peter is here. the german job market is the best it has been in years. >> it is good for the government. the number people unemployed in germany has a drop below the key 3 million mark level, with the government attributing this dog job creation here to a mixture of fiscal measures and market reforms. is good numbers, in the wake of a better than expected economic growth this year. there represent the country's lowest jobless level in almost

two decades. the positive trend is expected to continue in the coming months. >> companies are hiring. the number of jobless in germany has dropped to its lowest level since 1992. >> unemployment has fallen to almost 3 million. the number of people in work and paying social contributions continues to grow, and they're still high demand for new workers. >> that has even raised the prospect of full employment. defined and germany as a jobless rate of under 4%. that is still a long way off from today's 7.5%. >> considering the current development, the lack of skilled workers, and demographic trends as well as continuing unemployment due to poor education and training, we estimate that achieving full employment could take until 2020.

>> for now, the government hopes that the level of unemployment remains under the 3 million mark during the next few months. >> corporate news. shares in lieu of bonds that were among the day's most active in frankfurt today followed by automobiles and telecom as investors reacted to strong earnings. our correspondent in of frankfort, dorothy, has more on the day's trading. >> on good news, investors have been following this stock market. a truck maker has been affected. a couple reports have been very good. nothing to complain. the company raise the full year target, but shareholders cashed in after a strong rally this year. left on some was more successful. the overall mood was pretty good. german companies are doing very well. this is a reason to buy the shares, as traders said. >> and looking in several market

indices in more detail, we stay in frankfurt. the blue-chip dax index closed up about 0.4%. the euro stoxx 50 was up about 0.5%. we see across the atlantic, investors are ignoring the unemployment report today and focusing instead on mixed corporate earnings reports. the dow industrials closed lower at 11,109. finally, the bureau is treading for $1.3927. well, looking into other news, and this of course might make a lot of people served depressed. the cold and rainy summer in germany is likely to take its toll on the country's grapes and wine harvest this year. they are already expecting the worst harvest in 25 years. the volume of grapes is forecast

to tumble 30% to 50%. that is compared with less year. this drop in supply is expected to push wine prices in germany slightly higher. analysts did not expect the higher prices to make up for the smaller volume, because their harvests elsewhere. europe was much better than it was here. that will make it difficult for german winemakers to hold on to their market share in the coming year. >> well, in indonesia, the death toll from the tsunami there has risen to more than 350 people. authorities say another 400 are missing, and they fear many may have been washed out to sea. >> entire villages were literally swept away by the tsunami on monday when waves of to 3 meters high it the remote islands. hundreds of houses were submerged or destroyed. poor weather had been hampering relief efforts but up but the

first t pplies are slowly beginning to arrive. it takes some 10 hours to reach the island from mainland sumatra. on monday night, there was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, and that triggered the tsunami. there were reports the warning system put in place after the 2004 indian ocean tsunami was not working properly. an indonesian government official said two detection boys of the islands were not working properly but the warnings would have come too late in any case. >> further south on an indian mission -- ndf -- indonesian island, a volcano has been erupting again. a mass burial has been held for some of the 33 people killed when it first erupted on tuesday. two people are still missing. most of the residents have been evacuated from near the volcano. seismologists are morning there could be more volcanic activity in the weeks ahead.

argentinian 7 paying tribute to the former president there who died of a heart attack on tuesday. the body is lying in state at the presidential palace at the capitol. huge crowds gathered outside to file past the coffin and pay respects. the widow, the current president of the country, was joined by latiamerican leaders and members of her family to mourn the former president. and now this, russian prime minister vladimir putin famed for his action man image and robust health seemed to be wearing heavy make up with what looked like some severe bruising around his left eye during a press conference in ukraine. the 58-year-old usually avoids make a televised meetings, but journalists know this is great -- his face was covered in a yellow foundation. >> vladimir putin's bruised eye is the talk of the nation. russian media pounced on the story following vladimir putin's

appearance in the ukraine. speculation as to the cause of the birds range from sporting injury to plastic surgery. >> maybe he was doing judo. >> maybe he walked into a door. it was at night and he forgot to turn around the lights. >> he is always in great shape, youthful and athletic. that is what i like about putin. >> a spokesman was quick to play down the speculation, blaming the discoloration on poor lighting and the grueling workload. putin has been very busy lately. touring through siberia and a lot. visiting a biker clubs and helping to cal wells. his heavy media presence is also been stirring up speculation of a different nature. many observers believe it is already part of a plan to retake the kremlin in russia's 2012 presidential elections. >> that is a mystery.

we will be right back with more on the new report on the german foreign ministry and its nazi past. stay with us here on it dw-tv. do not go away.

>> welcome back. even though germany has subjected the nazi era to intense scrutiny a different stages since 1945, the country's foreign ministry was largely immune. that changed in 2005 when the then foreign minister authorized a historical reassessment of its ties to the nazi leadership. the results and now been released in berlin. the authors of the 880-page book contradict the long-held belief that most foreign ministry officials did not support nazi policies. >> the book contains revelations that broke a shocking and serious. it explodes the myth that the german foreign ministry was not

actively involved in the holocaust. and it shows how the world diplomats in the third reich have been played down here for decades. this historian co-authored the book. he was one of a team of historians who researched the role played by the german foreign ministry during the nazi regime. >> the foreign ministry during thththird reich was the foreign ministry of the third reich. that means they did not just deal with each other. our research has confirmed that at the beginning of the third reich, foreign ministry diplomats put their professional skills at the disposal of the nazis immediately and almost without exception. >> historians are granted access to files that had been classified for decades. their research revealed that during the third reich, foreign ministry diplomats played a key role in the genocide perpetrated by the nazis.

take otto. the german ambassador to paris. following the killing of some german soldiers by french partisans, he ordered the deportation to extermination camps of up to n2,000 french jews. another example is frank, the foreign ministry official responsible for jewish affairs. he said he had visited nazi- occupied serbia to supervise the "liquidation of jews in belgrade buehrer codey was sentenced to prison terms, but many other officials guilty of atrocities cut jobs as the diplomats after the war in a newly established foreign ministry in bonn. in the early 1950's, a christian democrat with both chancellor in foreign minister of west germany. >> he originated this wonderful sentence that is typical of its pragmatism and sometimes cynicism. he said, you do not throw out

the dirty water when you do not have any clean water. but he had his reserves, and they made it relatively easy for him. just like they had in 1933, the diplomats adapted to the new situation in 1951. this time, it was a positive change for the better. >> historians say there were more former nazi party members among the highest ranks of the foreign ministry in 1951 than there had been just before the outbreak of the war. it was the death of one of those officials that said the ball rolling on the subject and later led to the publication of the book. france, seven years ago, an obituary of the man who held a senior position at the foreign ministry appeared in an in-house newsletter. what the article failed to match and was the fact that he was a war criminal and say nazi prosecutor.

the san the death warrants of hundreds of so-called enemies of the third right in not-occupied jiggles of akia. when then foreign minister fisher of the greens got wind of this in 2003, he banned the obituaries of former nazi party members from the newsletter. two years under, he set up the commission with -- which authored the report. but why were the revelations so long in coming? at the end of the 1970's, he was even awarded a first-class federal cross of merit. but talk to the government have been unaware of his past? former state secretary was his closest adviser the time. he says he is surprised by the book's revelations. >> we knew lots of them were former nazis. but we did not comprehend the full scope. we had no idea they had been really active.

no institutions in the third reich were able to escape the clutches of the government and its policies, but it seems with it went much further than that. i am eager to read it. >> the historian's account also confirms the fact that not every member of the nazi party was a war criminal. the foreign minister says in the future it will look into each case individually before publishing obituaries of former officials. >> of course, there were also opportunists in the ministry, informers, carrierers. it does not make the criminals. it is human nature. you cannot punish everyone who is still alive today for not being prepared to monitor themselves to survive. that would be going too far.u >> whatever the role of the majority of wartime active accounts, the report brings the german foreign ministry much closer to confronting the truth about its nazi past.

the current foreign minister has suggested the book to be made mandatory reading for future dybbuk -- diplomats. courts would have been talking ical correspondent about this. we began by asking him to give us more details on the story that led to the commissioning of this book on the activities of the gerund -- german foreign ministry in the first place. >> it is a remarkable story and sheds a lot of blood on the machinations and the rivalries, the tensions and the mood of the foreign ministry here in berlin. it all begins with this story of a 92-year-old woman. she worked at the foreign ministry until the late 1970's. so she knew how the place worked and knew a lot of the personalities. that is an obituary we heard about. the king to her a aention in to thousand three for the man at a record of grave work times. she was disturbed, shows she wrote a letter to the then- foreign minister.

she did not get an answer. so she wrote another letter to the then-chancellor. he was up in arms. as a result, fisher issued this man on the obituaries appearing in the house magazine, the internal magazine for the foreign ministry. there was a test case for that about a year later when a number -- and a former ss man, they wanted to publish an obituary for him, but it was going to be a whitewash job. but the ban applied here. and then 128 former diplomats, former members of the double beds from the foreign ministry, they have the temerity, one has to say, to put a huge, a prominent, very expensive one- page of death note for this man in a leading german newspaper. this was an incredible affront to the foreign minister. he was angry. that is when he gave the order to get this book commissioned. i think he is feeling vindicated today.

>> what does this tell us about how germany is approaching this dark chapter in its history? >> i think most people in and outside of germany think germany has been doing a relatively good job of coming to terms with its very difficult history. with its terrible nazi history with school programs and that kind of thing. but when it comes to is to blame, publicity, it becomes more complicated. it was all planned on hitler and the nazi party, but that has begun to broaden. and it blame is going to other social groups like entrepreneurs are the churches or the regular armies. in recent years, we have seen professionalalroups in germany, like doctors and judges and university professionals, even historians themselves, having their role exposed in august. but the diplomats have managed some towns -- somehow to reference themselves away from this complicity until now. now they have been exposed.

>> peter, thank you so very much. and thank you for joining us. stay with us here on dw-tv if you can. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪

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