BERLIN: Guido Westerwelle, Germany Foreign Minister, has praised King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his efforts to promote peaceful coexistence in the world. In a wide-ranging interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette in Germany, he welcomed the Kingdom's attempts to revive the faltering peace process in the Middle East and to achieve stability in the Gulf region; and stressed the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, including their economic and technical partnerships. Westerwelle said relations have been flourishing between the two countries since the signing of the Friendship Accord in 1929. He said King Abdullah's leadership and diplomacy is distinguished by tolerance, understanding and dialogue. This has helped build a positive picture of the Kingdom and shows the country's government is serious about peace and international cooperation. Referring to the memorandum signed between the two countries in 2007, Westerwelle said this consultation agreement has resulted in several meetings between the countries' senior officials, including a visit by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, in February. The German minister praised King Abdullah's initiatives on regional and international peace and interfaith dialogue for helping to bring together the world's cultures and reducing the prospect of a clash of civilizations. He said cooperation and coordination between the two countries is not limited only to politics and economics but also cultural, scientific and archeological exchanges. He said Germany appreciates the Kingdom's efforts to resolve the Yemeni conflict and that the European Union supports the Gulf initiatives in that country. “Reaching a peaceful solution in Yemen has become a pressing need as the situation has become very worrisome.” Westerwelle also criticized Israel's building of settlements which he said remains an obstacle to peace. He repeated the view of the Mideast Quartet that only talks can resolve the impasse between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
