Germany's major opposition political party and medical groups are accusing the Foreign Ministry of ignoring the will of Parliament for failing to publicly push for a UN global treaty to ban both human reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning for research for medical research.

Germany's lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, in February overwhelmingly approved a motion calling for an international ban on all forms of human cloning. But the Foreign Ministry has not yet signed a statement being circulated by a group of about 40 nations, led by Costa Rica and the United States, calling for a total global cloning ban. The United Nations has been deliberating over an anticloning convention for some time, with talks currently deadlocked.

Hans-Josef Fell, a member of the Bundestag who is also a research and technology spokesman for the Green Party, told The Scientist that Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer supports the idea of a UN treaty to ban all forms of human cloning. However, Fischer, also a member of the Greens, does not believe such a treaty could currently win a majority of votes at the United Nations.

Fischer's withholding of Germany';s support for a total cloning ban is a “strategic” move, Fell said. Fischer is concerned that a total cloning ban treaty could be pulled and replaced with a compromise treaty that would ban reproductive cloning, but not therapeutic cloning, he said.

“We want to be successful in banning both sorts of cloning,” he said, adding that Fischer would sign a statement of support when he believes a total human cloning ban has majority support.

Fischer's strategy is coming under increasing criticism. Last week, the German Medical Association, the Marburger Bund physicians group, and two members of the CDU opposition party issued statements calling for the Foreign Ministry to publicly support the group of nations supporting a UN total cloning ban treaty.

Maria Böhmer, a leading CDU official, said: “Foreign Minister Fischer is urged to finally carry out the will of the German Bundestag with no ifs, ands, or buts. We should not squander the chance (for a total ban) that is now offered to us.”

Asked whether Germany's full public support might help produce a majority vote in favor of a total human cloning ban, Fell conceded that some Green Party members have made this argument. But he repeated that Fischer would continue the strategy of not giving German support until he believes a treaty has majority UN support.

Some critics have said Fischer and other members of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's ruling Green–SPD coalition government have withheld support for the proposition in order to “leave the door open” so Germany could participate in therapeutic human cloning research. But Fell said: “I don't think so.”

Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, president of the German Research Foundation (DFG), told The Scientist he supports a global ban on both reproductive and therapeutic human cloning and that this is the official position of the DFG. He said he believes cloning research should be done with animal cells, not human cells.

He said he “would support” Fischer signing the statement drawn up by nations urging the United Nations to adopt a global human cloning ban. But he added, “I can understand that the German government does not want to close the door [to therapeutic cloning] completely.”

He said that if UN passage of a total cloning ban is not possible at this time, he “would be happy” if UN member nations would first approve a treaty banning reproductive cloning. The United Nations then could turn its full attention on a second treaty to ban therapeutic cloning, he said.

Therapeutic cloning to produce embryonic stem cells has been a highly controversial issue in Germany. Under strict federal regulations issued in July 2002, only embryonic stem cells that date from before January 1, 2002, can be imported into Germany. Other requirements include that stem cells come from so-called “surplus embryos” produced by in vitro fertilization and that couples providing the stem cells were not paid money.