Steinmeier in Washington

DW-RADIO: What is Frank-Walter Steinmeier hoping to achieve on his visit to the United States?

Jan Techau: At the moment the entire diplomatic situation in the Middle East is volatile, so it seems natural that the key players in the region need to sit together and weigh their options for any future course. We saw (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair and President Bush meeting in Washington, and now it is Germany's turn. Originally the purpose of the trip was to talk about Germany's upcoming EU presidency, but now the trip has taken on added significance with the (deterioration of the current situation in Iraq).

Now that the Baker Commission report has been released, to what extent are Germany and the United States seeing eye to eye?

We should not forget that Germany has always been firmly on the side of America with regard to Iran and its nuclear ambitions. The two powers have clearly not seen eye to eye on Iraq. But now the US appears more ready to tie the Iraq question into the greater Middle East conflict, it seems that Germany has a role to play there. It is quite reassuring that Steinmeier's agenda for the Washington (trip) includes Iraq.

What about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Steinmeier and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were both recently in the Middle East. What will they have to say to each other on this issue when they meet on Friday?

What is imperative now is how the Iraq question can be tied into resolving the greater Middle East conflict. It is very clear that the Iraq problem cannot be resolved without the Iran problem, which is closely linked to the Arab-Israeli problem. The Americans have been very absent from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict throughout the entire Bush presidency. This needs to change, with the US being the key diplomatic player in the world. If we want to see progress in the region, the US needs to be engaged a lot more. I would expect talks between Steinmeier and Rice to be conducted along those lines.

Are there likely to be other thorny issues coming up, such as trade? There is speculation that it will become more difficult to secure trade deals now, with Congress dominated by the Democrats.

Yes, trade is always one of those technical issues being addressed on a regular basis in the transatlantic partnership. Europe needs to be concerned that the (shift of power) in Congress is going for a much more protectionist, isolationist stand. This is not a good sign, since Germany has promised to bring new movement into the (World Trade Organization) trade talks (after the latest Doha round of negotiations stalled). The final attempt to save the WTO will probably come during the German presidency, and the Steinmeier agenda includes this question. Trade is crucial for progress on other global issues we face, such as poverty and terrorism. Germany has to naturally play an important role as leader of both the EU and the G8 next year.