The leaders of Germany and Britain called for urgent action Thursday to end the hostilities in the Gaza Strip, according to DPA. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said they would support moves designed to stop the flow of arms to Gaza and ease the humanitarian situation there. The British prime minister met with the German chancellor in Berlin to discuss the Middle East crisis, the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine as well as measures to tackle the economic crisis, ahead of April's G20 meeting in London. Responding to Merkel's opening words on the Middle East, Brown said, "We too are shocked at the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and will do everything that we can to help with humanitarian aid." The leaders also promised to provide technical assistance to shore up security along Gaza's borders. The prime minister said mediators would work "night and day" to obtain a lasting ceasefire in the region. The two leaders called on Ukraine and Russia to resolve their political differences so that gas supplies could be resumed to Europe. Calling the gas conflict a "serious development," Merkel said Russia risked losing some of its credibility in Europe if supplies continued to dry up. The chancellor said she would talk with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin "about the need to create trust" during his visit to Germany scheduled for Friday. The leaders also stressed the need for the European Union to reduce its dependency on gas. Brown said recent events "have re-emphasized to the world the need to diversify energy supplies." As well as providing energy security, he said this could help prevent climate change and ensure the affordability of energy in the future.
