BERLIN, March 30 - Germany said on Thursday it was ready to tighten
border controls during this year's soccer World Cup and pledged to make life
hard for potential troublemakers.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Berlin would temporarily suspend
the European Union's Schengen travel agreement to allow it to make border
checks.
"They (checks) will be introduced as required by the situation and this will
enable us to use this threat filter in an effective manner," he told 280
officials from 40 countries at the last big security meeting before the
tournament kicks off on June 9.
Travellers in the Schengen zone of 15 European countries can normally move
freely across borders without showing an identity card, but member states can
suspend the accord and reintroduce controls at times of heightened security
alert.
Terrorism and hooliganism are the chief concerns of German officials as they
prepare to host the month-long World Cup, one of the biggest events in sport.
More than a million foreign fans will attend the 64 matches and an unknown
number will travel to Germany even though they have no tickets for the games.
Schaeuble said the problem of hooliganism in soccer was under much better
control than in the past, particularly praising the efforts of British
authorities to root out troublemakers among England's big fan contingent.
He said any hooligans would have "major problems".
"They won't enjoy their stay here. Those who want to cause disturbances
should simply stay at home."
Schaeuble also noted that his British counterpart, Charles Clarke, had
strongly backed the German authorities to take a tough line on provocative
behaviour such as displaying the Nazi swastika or giving the stiff-armed Hitler
salute, which is illegal in Germany.
"I think we will be able to keep this risk to a minimum," he said.