Merkel considera que la solución del problema palestino pasa por crear un Estado propio que conviva con Israel, según Middle East Star

 
German Chancellor advocates two-state solution for Middle East
Middle East Star

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday she was hopeful the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be resolved through a two-state solution.

'The timeframe appears favourable,' the chancellor said in her weekly Internet video address, which coincided with the start of a four-nation tour of the Middle East.

Merkel, whose country holds the rotating presidencies of the European Union (EU) and Group of Eight (G8) leading industrial nations, was due in Cairo Saturday afternoon for talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on ways of breathing new life into the stalled Middle East peace process.

'It is extremely gratifying that the Middle East Quartet has gathered and the international community is again taking on responsibility,' she said in reference to Friday's meeting of the four-member mediation panel in Washington.

But she said the quartet, grouping the US, the UN, the EU and Russia, would not achieve success without the backing of regional players.

The chancellor said she planned to use her talks with the leaders of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to gauge the chances for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Other conflicts in the region could only be resolved 'if we make progress in this central area of conflict in the Middle East,' she said.

The situation in Lebanon and Iran's controversial nuclear enrichment programme will also feature prominently in her talks, the chancellor added.

'We are aware of the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear programme,' she said. 'That is why I intend to use my talks to see how we can get Iran to live up to its commitments to the international community.'
 

comnetar 5 Febrero 2007