GERMANY’S SCHROEDER GETS IN A FEWSHOTS ON HIS WAYOUTOF OFFICE

Berlin Germany’s outgoing Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, took swipes at the United States and Britain yesterday as he announced he would not stay on as a minister in the government of rival Angela Merkel. “ I will not be part of the next federal government. Definitely not,” the two-term Chancellor told a trade union congress in his hometown of Hanover. “I genuinely want to support it with all the strength I have. And that is not meant as a threat.” Mr. Schroeder also took issue with Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, over his vision for the future of the European Union. “ I say to my British friend that people in Germany, in Europe, do not want complete denationalization,” he said. “ They want a state that is not in front of their nose but at their side.” He criticized the Bush administration over its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, saying the mistakes and delays emphasized the need for a strong state to help people. “I

could name countries, but the office I

still hold forbids that

— but everybody

knows I mean

America,” he added

to laughter. Mr.

Schroeder received a

standing ovation and

appeared to wipe away tears. Coalition talks between his Social Democrats and the conservative alliance led by Ms. Merkel, who is to be the new chancellor, begin on Monday.