Ramallah - Ma‘an - In spite of the Israeli attempts to frustrate the Palestinian meetings with foreign officials, a Palestinian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister (Fatah) Azzam Al-Ahmad successfully reached Germany for a series of meetings with German officials about ways to lift the embargo imposed on the Palestinians.
The delegation met with German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler in the ministry of foreign affairs in Berlin, in spite of Israeli pressure to prevent the meeting. The Israeli ambassador to Germany had issued a statement calling for the German leadership not to receive the Palestinian delegation.
Al-Ahmad told Ma‘an that the delegation explained to the Germans the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. He said that the Germans expressed their readiness to support the unity government.
The German minister welcomed the formation of the new Palestinian national unity government. ‘This government came after a complicated political process,‘ he said. He described the step as paving the way for greater political horizons and towards compliance with the Quartet‘s demands.
The Quartet, which comprises of the EU (currently presided over by Germany), USA, UN and Russia, insists that the Palestinian government accept their principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel and abidance by the previous signed peace accords.
Erler also expressed his hope that this new government will solve the issue of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, and stop the projectile launching from the Gaza Strip into Israel. He affirmed the reciprocal need to release Palestinian prisoners.
Al-Ahmad added that he met with the head of the Social Democratic bloc in the German parliament, Peter Struck. Struck said that the unity government opens the way for there to be a German partner for the Palestinian people and to enhance the relations between the Fatah movement and the German democratic party.
He added that they will use their influence in order to urge the German government to cooperate with the Palestinian government. He said that his party will send a delegation to meet with president Abbas.
The Palestinian delegation, which is headed by Al-Ahmad, included Palestinian Culture Minister Bassam As-Salhi, and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sahar Al-Qawasmi and Majid Abu Shamala. They also met with the chairwoman of the European Union‘s committee on human rights, Herta Däubler. The delegation also met with the German minister of development and economic cooperation, Heidi Wieczorek-Zeul.
Al-Ahmad said that the visit was important and that the Germans were very attentive.