BERLIN, December 29 (IslamOnline.net) – Anti-globalization groups and peace movements in Germany are planning massive protests against US President George W. Bush's scheduled visit to the European country next February.

The German coordination committee of the anti-globalization groups and peace movements said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to IslamOnline.net Tuesday, December 28, that it is planning to launch a European campaign titled “Europe resents Bush” early January, one month before Bush's visit to Germany, to highlight large scale rejection of US policies and Bush's visit to the country.

The statement, signed by Peter Schtroienski, the coordination committee spokesman urged citizens in Germany and other European countries which Bush is planning to visit to take to the streets to protest the American President's visit to the continent.

The statement said that no other American President except Bush had succeeded in drawing such a degree of stinging anger of the Europeans.

Thanks to Bush, the Europeans no longer take to the streets to welcome visiting US Presidents as they used to, the statement read.

The campaign came shortly after the German declaration that the US President is expected to make a short visit to the EU heavyweight on February 23, following his participation in the NATO summit, due in Brussels a day earlier.

The German Frankfurter Rundschau quoted government sources as saying that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent his national security advisor Bernd Muezelburg to Washington last week for talks with US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice on Bush's planned visit to Germany, in a bid to avoid more deterioration in the US-German relations.

The United States and Germany have been at odds over the US-led war on oil-rich Iraq which Germany strongly opposed.

The United States has launched war on Iraq without a UN authorization under a punch of claims that – through time – were proved untrue.

Though it is still unclear which German city Bush will stop over, the US President is not expected to visit the German capital Berlin which was a scene of massive protests in 2002 condemning the US-led war on Iraq, according to German and US officials.

Bush had voiced hope to stop over in the German city of Frankfurt or Main on the German-Polish borders in appreciation to Poland's staunch support for the US war on currently chaos-marred occupied Iraq.

But shortly after, Bush backtracked, saying that he was hopeful to stop over in the cities of Mainz and Heidelberg to visit the US forces there, according to local German reports.

The German city of Heidelberg is home to the US army command while Mainz hosts most US forces in Germany.

Germany has been resentful of the US stance against granting the European country a UN Security Council permanent seat.

It has also been angered with the US disinterest in interfering to reach a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Bush's remarks on visiting US forces in Germany have raised questions whether Schroeder, a staunch opponent to the US war on Iraq, would accompany Bush during his visit to US forces in Germany.

The remarks also raised the possibility that German President Horst Koehler, who is a member of the Democratic Christian Party, a staunch supporter to the US war on Iraq, would accompany Bush during his visit to US forces here.