German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that «unusual steps» are a part of the search for peace in the Middle East, defending staunchly her foreign minister's recent visit to Syria. In a speech to parliament, Merkel said Germany balances a «readiness for dialogue» in principle with countries such as Syria and Iran with «clear principles and values.» Germany hopes to use its turn in the European Union's rotating presidency, starting Jan. 1, as a forum to nudge forward efforts to revive the Middle East peace process. Its first priority is to bring new life to the so-called Quartet of Middle East negotiators that formulated the long-stalled «roadmap» peace plan: the U.S., EU, the United Nations and Russia. «Unusual steps such as, for example, the foreign minister's trip to Syria also are part of this,» Merkel told lawmakers, the Associated Press reported.
