The Telegaph, Saturday 13 November 2010

Gerhard Schroeder has accused former President George W Bush of "not telling the truth" in his memoirs over claims that the former German chancellor had broken his word over support for the Iraq invasion.

Mr Schroeder confirmed that he had told Mr Bush he would 'stand reliably on the side of the US' if it was confirmed that Iraq was sheltering those responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks Photo: AP By Toby Harnden in Washington 6:16PM GMT 10 Nov 2010

In his book "Decision Points", published this week, Mr Bush writes that he told Mr Schroeder in an Oval Office meeting on 31st January 2002 that he was determined to make diplomacy work but he would invade Iraq if all else failed.

He quotes Mr Schroeder as saying: "What is true of Afghanistan is true of Iraq. Nations that sponsor terror must face consequences. If you make it fast and make it decisive, I will be with you."

Mr Bush writes that he put a "high premium on trust" and Mr. Schroeder was guilty of betrayal. "Once that trust was violated, it was hard to have a constructive relationship again."

Mr Schroeder responded to Mr Bush's claims, accusing him of "not telling the truth".

In a statement, he confirmed that he had told Mr Bush he would "stand reliably on the side of the US" if it was confirmed that Iraq was sheltering those responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"But this link, as it became clear during 2002, was false and contrived. This goes for reasons [for the invasion] given by Bush and [then vice-president Dick] Cheney too.

"As we know today, the Bush administration's reasons for the Iraq war were based on lies."

The reaction of former Schroeder aides was scathing. "We noticed that the intellectual reach of the president of the most important nation at the time was exceptionally low," said Uwe-Karsten Heye, Mr Schroeder's spokesman at the time told German news channel N24.

"For this reason it was difficult to communicate with him. He had no idea what was happening in the world. He was so fixated on being a Texan. I think he knew every longhorn in Texas."

Dieter Kastrup, Mr Schroeder's top foreign policy official, who was at the meeting, said: "In no way did Schroeder express anything that could be understood by Bush as a charter to start a war against Iraq with German assistance."

The rap singer Kanye West has also responded to Mr Bush's book, in which the former president wrote it was a low point in his presidency when West criticised him at a fund-raiser for Hurricane Katrina victims. At the time, West said on television "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Mr Bush said that West's outburst effectively accused him of being racist.

West however has now said he "didn't have the grounds" to call Mr Bush a racist.

"I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words", the singer said.