Schroeder: "The goal of the United Nations is the return of the inspectors to Iraq. The debate that is being conducted in the United States is different: it is aimed at Saddam Hussein and his removal... Military intervention in Iraq is wrong and therefore it will not take place with Germany's help under my leadership."

Stoiber: "We must do everything possible to exert diplomatic and political pressure so that the UN is successful, that the inspectors can return to the country and that we know exactly what kind of weapons Saddam Hussein possesses."

Schroeder: "No one wants to play down the unemployment issue... We did not succeed in achieving the goal of reducing the number of unemployed to 3.5 million. The reasons are due to international factors, as every reasonable economist knows."

Stoiber: "11 September, the world situation and the US situation certainly have a slight impact... But England, Spain and Sweden also have economies dependent on the worldwide economy and they haven't had the same economic slowdown... People are more worse off than they were four years ago."

Schroeder: "Nonsense."

Schroeder: "The strong shoulders in Germany are ready to carry more of a burden than the weaker shoulders."

Stoiber: "The chancellor is inclined to increase taxes immediately whenever there is a crisis... a fatal mistake."

Schroeder: "The alternative plan offered by the conservatives is debts."

Stoiber: "With four million Germans without a job it's wrong that we now have a law which will let foreigners in when each year we have to integrate... 500,000 to 600,000 new arrivals."

Schroeder: "We need immigration for high-tech jobs... It's true that about 600,000 have come each year, but if you subtract those who go home each year, the net figure is 100,000. Our nation can handle that amount."

Stoiber: "My wife doesn't comment on current events. She supports me."

Schroeder: "I sometimes ask myself what kind of view do we have of women if they are reduced to a role where women should not comment on political issues."

Stoiber: "I try to avoid making a difference between what I talk about and what I do... Bavaria [where Stoiber is state premier] has good schools, is safe and has laid the basis for jobs creation to lower unemployment. I would like to do what I did for Bavaria throughout Germany."

Schroeder: "We have proven... that we deserve the confidence of the voters. We put the pension system on a reasonable basis, tackled the issue of limiting and directing immigration... and did a lot to help families."