German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier phoned his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi Friday to call for restrictions on foreign journalists covering the Beijing Olympics to be lifted, Deutsche Presse Agentur said. In particular, Steinmeier raised the issue of restrictions on internet access for journalists, asking Yang for clarification. The German foreign minister urged the Chinese government to reconsider the measures, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Yang had responded that China intended to hold the games in the spirit of the Olympic movement, the statement said. The Chinese foreign minister also said that he would look into the problems at the "German House" in Beijing, which has not been receiving current editions of the major German newspapers.
