Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle regrets the Israeli authorities’ decision to refuse Dirk Niebel, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, entry to the Gaza Strip.

In this connection, he issued the following statement today (20 June):

”I regret the Israeli Government’s decision to refuse Federal Minister Niebel entry to the Gaza Strip.

The German Government’s aim remains a complete lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip. This is not just Germany’s position, but also the position of our partners in the European Union. We emphasized this once again at our most recent EU Foreign Ministers meeting.“

The German Government made repeated efforts – including a direct appeal from Federal Minister Westerwelle to his Israeli counterpart – to ensure that the visit could take place.