A Federal Foreign Office spokesperson issued the following statement in Berlin today (17 August):

“Foreign Minister Westerwelle spoke to Egypt’s Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy on the phone today about the difficult situation in that country. In what was a grave discussion, Foreign Minister Westerwelle informed his Egyptian opposite number of the German Government’s stance and particularly called for deescalation and level-headed conduct. He urged the Egyptian Government not to do anything that would create an obstacle to a political solution and to reestablish dialogue with all political forces.”