As German elections draw closer, the number one concern on voters' minds is unemployment

But the country's stance towards a possible attack on Iraq has also developed into a campaign issue. In recent days, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has repeatedly made it clear that Germany is opposed to a U.S. attack on Iraq. This would even be the case if the United Nations passed a mandate for an attack on Iraq, Schröder added. Germany would also not participate financially in supporting the military operation. Schröder's conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber has accused the Chancellor of drawing the Iraq issue into the election campaign for tactical purposes. Yet Stoiber's own foreign policy advisor Wolfgang Schäuble also contributed to the debate by stating over the weekend that Germany would "participate appropriately" in a military assault on Iraq should the U.N. pass a mandate. Schäuble also criticized Schröder for making Iraq a campaign issue at a time when the world community should be pressuring Baghdad to open up to weapon inspections by U.N. monitors.