Peace process
July 6, 2009
The foreign minister began his whirlwind trip in Jerusalem where he held talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres. As he went into the meeting, held at Peres' private residence, Steinmeier said he had high hopes of the new US administration in the context of the Middle East.
"I hope we are on the verge of a fresh start," he said, "a fresh start that has been made possible by the initiative of the US president – a decisive, fervent call for a two-state solution made not only to Israel and the Palestinians but also to their Arab neighbors."
He said it was crucial to encourage "moderate Arab states" to work together to secure peace in the region, adding that Germany and Europe would do everything they could to support the goal.
"I will continue to press for Israel's difficult neighbors – in Syria and in Lebanon – to participate constructively in these efforts towards a two-state solution," he told reporters.
Security a pre-requisite for peace
Steinmeier stressed that Israel would need to stop settlement construction in the Palestinian territories in order to move its Arab neighbors to support the initiative for regional peace, but also said the security of the Israeli people was a "clear pre-condition" for all talks.
Steinmeier has been among world leaders who have criticized Israeli settlement building programs in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Some observers say Germany is aware that it does not have the influence to broker Middle East peace on its own, but that Steinmeier clearly wants to be part of the Obama administration's efforts in that direction.
Whistle-stop meetings
The foreign minister, who is also deputy chancellor, was originally scheduled to visit the West Bank town of Ramallah, but the appointment was cancelled after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was called away to Jordan on short notice.
Later on Monday, Steinmeier was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and opposition leader Tzipi Livni. On Tuesday he is to travel to Syria and Lebanon.
Steinmeier's trip comes ahead of next week's G8 summit in Italy. Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated last week that the Middle East conflict would figure prominently in those talks. She said "concessions from all sides are necessary," for the peace process to succeed.
Calling for a halt to the construction of Israeli settlements, Merkel said "there has to be a freeze. Otherwise I am convinced we will not achieve the two-state solution that we urgently need - a Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state that can live in security."
tkw/dpa/AFP/AP
Editor: Michael Lawton