German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder(L) shakes hands with his supports during an election campaign rally in Bremen, northern Germany Sept. 15, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

BEIJING, Sept. 15 -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder continued his election campaign on Wednesday with a rally in the northwest German city of Bremen.

    Schroeder took the opportunity to criticise conservative challenger Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union on her policies regarding nuclear power and her stance on the war in Iraq.

    Merkel has said her party would allow nuclear power plants to stay open for longer, provided they meet safety standards, whereas Schroeder is committed to phasing out nuclear power.

    "The guiding principle of our politics has always been that one doesn't play ecology against economy. Our interest is to combine the two. We and our children and our children's children can only live in wealth if we are able to keep the natural resources which are the basis of our existence."

    

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gestures during his speech at an election campaign rally in Bremen, northern Germany Sept. 15, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

Schroeder and his party have refused to support the war in Iraq, while his rival Merkel, who, while not openly supporting the war in Iraq, is keen to improve trans-Atlantic relations.

    With the parliamentary elections looming on Sunday, the polls are showing Schroeder's party, which has for some time trailed Merkel's Christian Democrats by double digits, starting to claw back support, although not enough to salvage his current coalition with the Greens. Enditem

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)