BERLIN (EJP)--- Following hefty criticism from the Central Council of Jews in Germany for his “one sided approach,” to solving the current Middle East conflict, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has begun making efforts to calm the turbulent waters in the conflict-bound region.
Steinmeier is currently on a crisis mission in the Middle East. He told ZDF television that Germany was willing to take a leading role in order to find a resolution to the current conflict. “I am in the region to help both sides to find a negotiated settlement…to create a playing field in which diplomacy will work,” he said.
Looking to the future
Void of any concrete proposals, the foreign minister took a quick look at what would happen once a settlement will have been reached.
He said that Germany would entertain the idea of sending peace-keeping troops to the region. He was reserved in his statement but did say that a decision would be easier to make if such a peace keeping force were part of a NATO-led mission.
He did underline, however, that any German troops stationed in the region would have to take into account the historical sensibilities of many people who live in the region. He referred to World War Two Jewish survivors living in Israel – many of whom would reject having German soldiers along their country’s borders.
Kurt Beck, the Social Democratic party head, told the press last Friday that he would not hesitate to send German soldiers on a peace-keeping mission to the Middle East, contrary to his colleague’s, Steinmeier’s position.
Merkel: no discussion
Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democrat) said she intended to hold off any discussions of such a force until a later date. “This is not the time to begin such a discussion,” she said.
She was supported by Social Democrat Gernot Erler, state secretary at the foreign ministry who said in a German radio interview that all the discussions in the world today will not help the current conflict get resolved.
Currently, the German government is recovering from hefty debates involving the deployment of 70 German soldiers to the civil-war riddled Republic of Congo where they will monitor upcoming elections.
Troop deployment outside of Germany is still a heavily debated subject within Germany’s World-War-Two-sensitive political structure.
Discussions held
Bowing down to pressure from Kurt Beck, the increasingly fragile Christian and Social Democratic grand-coalition did end up discussing, in detail, the possibility of sending troops to the region this afternoon.
Defence minister Franz Joseph Jung said that he could envision German peacekeeping troops in the Middle East “if all the nations of the world request this from us”. Jung however did say that no troops would be sent in until a comprehensive cease fire is negotiated. Minister Jug did underline that any cease fire should not put into question Israel’s right of existence. Also, any future peace-keeping force should have an “effective, robust mandate,” Jung said. He referred to the UN’s UNIFIL peace keeping force in Lebanon today which was not effective at stopping Hisbollah attacks against Israel.
Bernd Siebert, Christian Democratic expert on military affairs told the Netzzeitung news agency that most UN peace-keeping forces have been unable to curb violence and also suggested that only a NATO run force would be effective at maintaining a semblance of peace in the region. His Social Democratic counterpart, Rainer Arnold, readily agreed. Arnold added that a peacekeeping force should not only focus on the Lebanese crisis but that it should also be in tune with the Road Map peace process.
Siebert did, however, question whether Germany’s defence forces would have the capacity to fulfil such a mission, seeing that their capacity for such missions was stretched thin – as German soldiers were now deployed in Congo, the Balkans and in Afghanistan.
Many German ministers have begun calling for a cease fire and a peace keeping force to be set up - even if the kidnapped soldiers are not yet returned. These voices remain contrary to Merkel’s belief that the kidnapped soldiers must be freed first.
Both Steinmeier and his social democratic colleague, minister for cooperation and development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, would like to see an immediate, unconditional stop of Israeli bombing raids on Lebanon and Gaza, he has now shown rhetorical support of UN secretary general, Kofi Annan’s six point plan for a cease fire – which in effect accepts Israeli conditions for a cease-fire.
Steinmeier believes that at least three elements of Annan’s proposal could be realistically fulfilled before a comprehensive cease-fire plan could take effect.
“Although I am not so optimistic that quiet will come about fast in the region, we will certainly give it a try,” Steinmeier told ZDF. “If the warring parties could accept at least three elements of the secretary general’s six-point plan, then I believe we will be closer to reaching our goal,” he said.
Steinmeier said that the captive soldiers must be released, that the humanitarian problems must be reversed and that Hisbollah must stop shooting against Israel. Steinmeier did say that he was convinced that his Egyptian colleagues are well on their way to taking care of the Gaza crisis and has chosen to stay away from mediating there. “Of course, if there is something that we can do for Gaza, then we will do it. But for the time being, Egypt seems to have the situation under control,” Steinmeier said.
Steinmeier was adamant that any decision reached by Germany would be in tune with an international consensus. He gave the press to believe that Germany will not avoid any UN or NATO resolution.
Rumours have been circulating that Germany would take a leading role in negotiating a prisoner-swap between the warring factions. “Such a diplomatic role is unlikely until Israel would, at least, agree to such a swap. So far, there is no indication that Frau Merkel will give the go-ahead for such negotiations if it will go contrary to current Israeli demands,” a German foreign ministry source told EJP.