Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met Saad Hariri, President of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, for talks today (15 March).

The talks focused on the Middle East peace process and the current situation in Lebanon, the UNIFIL mission as well as the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Federal Minister Westerwelle and Prime Minister Hariri agreed that the Middle East peace process must be set in motion again as quickly as possible. Westerwelle emphasized that everything had to be done to ensure that the parties to the conflict engage in indirect peace talks. Referring to the recent Israeli announcement that further homes are to be built in East Jerusalem, the Federal Foreign Minister reiterated that the road map, which sets out the clear position of Germany and the international community, provides for a freeze on settlement activities.