Germany Courts Syria
January 17, 2008
During a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem, on Thursday, Jan. 17, Steinmeier stressed that the most recent US-sponsored Middle East peace conference was only a step in the right direction and should not itself be considered a success.
"We reached the understanding in today's talks in this critical, but open, phase, that it is necessary for all parties in the Middle East to support the ongoing process," Steinmeier said in Berlin.
He added that "Israelis and Palestinians have to sense that negotiations will bring them concrete benefits: security on the one hand, a better livelihood on the other."
Steinmeier also announced that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is to visit Germany Wednesday to pursue business deals in Europe. Steinmeier said the invitation to Fayyad was part of German efforts to offer political and economic assistance to the Palestinians as their humanitarian conditions worsen.
"Painful compromises" necessary
At the Mideast peace meeting held in November 2007 in the US city of Annapolis, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to set the end of 2008 as a target date for a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement.
A Syrian delegation took part in the conference despite long-standing animosity between Washington and Damascus.
Steinmeier also said on Thursday he was aware all sides would have to make "painful compromises" to resolve the conflicts in the Middle East but he said Syria could count on European support if it helped remove key obstacles.
"If Syria makes visible, constructive efforts that lead to less tension in a region shaken and marked by crises and conflict, Syrian-German ties and also Syrian-European ties have potential that can be developed," the German minister said.
Syria ready to help
Al-Moallem, who also held talks with members of the German parliament, said a "comprehensive and just peace" between Israelis and Palestinians and an end to the dispute over the Golan Heights were Damascus's "top priority."
"It is in the interest of Syria to play a positive role to ensure security and stability in this turbulent region," al-Moallem told reporters. "With peace, security for all will be ensured. With peace, we will have economic prosperity for all as well as the answer to extremism in the region."
According to al-Moallem, 1.5 million Iraqi and 500,000 Palestinian refugees live in Syria. In addition, around 250,000 people fled into the country during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
"For these reason alone, Syria has an enormous interest in peace in the region," he added.
Germany courts Syria as peace mediator
Steinmeier made a rare trip to Damascus in December 2006 a month before Berlin revived the so-called Middle East Quartet grouping the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations as Germany assumed the EU presidency.
On the topic of Lebanon, al-Moallem said Syria would support ongoing efforts by the Arab League to break the Lebanese’s government’s presidential deadlock.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since Emile Lahoud stepped down Nov. 23 with no elected successor because of a long-running dispute between the Western-backed majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Syria of not doing enough to resolve the political impasse in Lebanon.
"We expect Syria to play a constructive role in Lebanon's presidential election," Merkel said on Tuesday. "I don't see this sufficiently at the moment."
Lebanon's parliament is due to meet on Monday in a fresh attempt to choose a president amid deepening divisions between the Western-backed ruling majority and the opposition, which is backed by Syria and Iran.
The crisis has raised fears that the country might be heading towards a new civil war.
The US and France have laid the blame for the continuing feud on Syria, which effectively controlled its smaller neighbor for 29 years until its troops were forced to pull out in April 2005 after former prime minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a bomb attack.