Difference of Opinion
January 18, 2008
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) lashed out at Steinmeier for inviting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to Berlin this week. In his role as foreign minister for the "grand coalition," Steinmeier should have considered the political implications of the invitation, leading CDU leaders said this week.
Steinmeier is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the federal coalition led by the conservatives.
Other Western countries such as the United States and France have sought to isolate Syria for worsening the political instability in Lebanon and for its support for radical groups involved in violence against Israel.
Earlier this week, Merkel accused Syria of not doing enough to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon, which has been without a head of state since November due to an impasse between the Western-backed majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition supported by Syria.
Steinmeier feels Syria is a key player both in resolving the Lebanon crisis and bringing peace to the Middle East.
"Syria is a country that can be a spoiler. Therefore, my advice is to keep trying to convince it that a destructive role isn't necessarily in its own interest," Steinmeier said in a speech to the Bertelsmann Foundation think-tank after his Thursday meeting with Foreign Minister al-Moualem.
Coalition partners unhappy
Steinmeier is responsible for ensuring that the government projects a stable foreign policy. He should not be seen as "going at it alone" in his foreign policy decisions, said Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU)'s Comittee on Foreign Affairs. The CSU is the sister Bavarian party of the CDU. Guttenberg made it clear that the CSU was not happy with Steinmeier's decision.
Merkel didn't attend the Thursday, Jan. 18 meeting between Steinmeier and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem. She also didn't send any of her foreign policy advisers to greet him.
It's not good to "always roll out the red carpet" for Syria, Eckard von Klaeden, the foreign affairs spokesman for the CDU, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The invitation brought with it the danger that Damaskus would incorrectly interpret the gesture, von Klaeden said.
Syria has not been meeting Western expectations in helping resolve the political crisis in Lebanon, Merkel said this week. Many fear the situation could launch the country into another civicl war.
"We expect Syria to play a constructive role in Lebanon's presidential election," Merkel said. "I don't see this sufficiently at the moment."
Isolation seen as counterproductive
Steinmeier admitted that Syria is currently not playing a constructive role in the Israel-Palestinian peace efforts, but he strongly defended his decision to engage Damascus. Isolating Syria is a bad idea, Steinmeier said at the Bertelsmann Foundation speech.
"Containment and isolation won't succeed, I am convinced, and I'm not sure that some Arab states would permit it," Steinmeier said.
Syria has indicated it is ready to look for peaceful ways to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
"It is in the interest of Syria to play a positive role to ensure security and stability in this turbulent region," al-Moallem told reporters Thursday. "With peace, security for all will be ensured. With peace, we will have economic prosperity for all as well as the answer to extremism in the region."