Jan 9, 2009, 23:46 GMT
Berlin - Germany said Friday it will help mediate in the Gaza conflict, with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to meet this weekend with Israeli and Egyptian officials.
His arrival late Friday in Cairo adds yet another player to European Union mediation efforts. Steinmeier said that his stepped up intervention was coordinated with the Czech Republic, currently the EU president.
Steinmeier was scheduled to meet Saturday in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak.
No location was announced for a planned meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose term of office expired Thursday.
On Sunday, Steinmeier is to meet in Tel Aviv with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and president Shimon Peres. It was not clear if the German would also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before returning late Sunday to Berlin.
Steinmeier has already made a series of telephone calls to key players in the region in a bid to achieve a 'humanitarian ceasefire' in the Gaza Strip.
The United Nations Security Council late Thursday demanded an immediate end to the fighting. Steinmeier called the resolution, passed 14-0 with the United States abstaining, 'an important sign of unity.'
Israel launched a bombing campaign on December 27 in the coastal territory followed by a ground invasion on January 3, all with the stated goal of halting rocket attacks by the Gaza-based Islamic militant movement Hamas. The militant missile fire toward Israel has been unabated despite the presence of Israeli troops and continued airstrikes, with Israeli authorities reporting another 30 rockets fired on Friday.
Germany has been broadly supportive toward Israel in the conflict, saying it is vital to cut off Hamas' supply of missiles, which are mainly smuggled into Gaza via tunnels from Egypt.
'If one does not manage to stop the arms smuggling, the outlook for a ceasefire and a subsequent armistice looks poor,' said Thomas Steg, deputy government spokesman.
He refused to say if Germany would offer peace monitors in Gaza.
Other EU figures who have intervened include French President Nicolas Sarkozy, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, former British prime minister Tony Blair representing the Mideast 'Quartet' of the United States, EU, UN and Russia, and the Czech as EU president.
Steinmeier's involvement had been only by telephone, with Germany's Middle East envoy, Andreas Michaelis, on the ground in the region.
Some EU governments have been critical of Sarkozy for acting independently of Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
Steinmeier said that the aim of his trip was 'that the appeal for a ceasefire leads to an actual ceasefire.'
He said Berlin was 'deeply concerned' about the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. 'The situation in the Gaza Strip can only be improved if we achieve a comprehensive ceasefire,' Steinmeier said.
Andreas Peschke, deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: 'In political and diplomatic terms, we will concentrate first of all on obtaining a ceasefire. We see the principal point of departure in Egypt's initiative. That's why it is important to step up and maintain contacts with Egypt and of course directly with Israel.'
Egypt's plan, as backed by Sarkozy, calls for a cessation of violence, allowing aid to reach civilians, and includes an invitation to discuss ending Israel's blockade of Gaza.
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