Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (6 March) phoned his American opposite number, Hillary Clinton.

The conversation focused on the themes of his trip to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, which began today.

Hillary Clinton told Guido Westerwelle about her visit just a few days ago to the region in Chile hit by the earthquake and briefed him on the situation there. The two Foreign Ministers agreed that they must stand shoulder to shoulder with Chile and provide assistance. Westerwelle and Clinton also spoke about their shared concern about Iran’s nuclear programme. They agreed to closely involve non-permanent members of the Security Council such as Brazil in the ongoing consultations.