Kohl willing to stand again if called upon

THE German chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, declared last night that he will seek a record fifth term in office next year, ending months of speculation about his political future.

Dr Kohl, who celebrated his 67th birthday yesterday, told German television that he would stand again in 1998 if his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) wanted it.

"It's not an individual decision from Mount Olympus. I am standing because I believe I have a duty to do so in the present situation. We are facing difficult international developments," he said.

The Chancellor identified the eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO as the biggest challenges facing Germany and its neighbours.

Pointing to evidence of improved economic growth last month, he insisted that Germany would qualify for European Monetary Union (EMU) and that the single currency would be launched as planned on January 1st, 1999.

Dr Kohl, who promised during the 1994 election campaign that this would be his last term in office, refused to confirm that he would complete a fifth term if reelected next year.

Erik Kirschbaum adds:

Dr Kohl saves some of his most difficult decisions for his Easter dieting vacation in Austria, where the daily fare of bread rolls and water seems to whet his appetite for politics. The 10 days of fasting and reflection in the Alps this year helped him come to the conclusion he announced yesterday.

It was a bold move by the burly man who regularly upstages rivals who make the mistake of underestimating him. With his enormous girth and slightly slurred speech, "The Fat Man" has long been a favourite target of jokes in Germany. But unbeaten in the polls in the last two decades, Dr Kohl has always enjoyed the last laugh.

His decision to stand for re-election was in doubt until now because another Kohl trait - his tendency to withdraw and delay any decisions - had maintained the upper hand in recent months. Fierce criticism over the country's growing economic woes and record unemployment have rained down on him for months. Young leaders in his party have criticised him for weak leadership and his loyal lieutenant, Mr Wolfgang Schauble, hinted he was ready to take over.

But Dr Kohl thrives when the naysayers raise their collective voices. He enjoys striking back just when it seems he is on the ropes for the last time. He has been there so often that the press has a word for it - Kanzlerdammerung or "twilight of the chancellor".

Dubbed "the eternal chancellor" by the weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Dr Kohl is Bonn's longest-serving chancellor. He has won four straight elections and served for 14 1/2 years, surpassing his mentor, Konrad Adenauer's record in office last October. If he wins reelection and serves the full four years, he will have been chancellor for 20 years and beaten the record set by Count Otto von Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor" who served for 19 years and two months in the late 19th century.

A powerful figure in the European Union, Kohl is a tireless advocate for European integration. He is among the most vocal champions of the European economic and monetary union (EMU) and cited the project as key reason he wants to serve another term.

His word carries weight on issues like key appointments in the EU and his constant pressure on Paris has kept the Franco-German axis - the motor of European integration - on course after President Chirac seemed less interested than his predecessor, Francois Mitterrand, in co-ordinating policy.

Many Eastern European countries eager to join the EU and NATO also see him as their best ally in the West.

Dr Kohl has a wife, Hannelore, and two grown-up sons.