Pitfalls of Palestinian statehood topic of German minister's trip

Sep 11, 2011, 14:01 GMT

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was on his way to Jordan Sunday for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the potential problems a bid for Palestinian statehood could have on the Middle East peace process.

Palestinian officials have been adamant in their plans to put the bid for official recognition as a state before the United Nations, despite strenuous objections from Israel and the United States.

Such a state would include the West Bank and Gaza Strip, both Palestinian-administered territories that have been under the control of Israel for decades.

Westerwelle's meeting with Abbas will focus on ways to make sure that such a declaration of statehood would not negatively affect stability in the region.

During his three-day tour of the region, Westerwelle is also set to meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, before traveling on to Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Before departing on his trip, Westerwelle spoke with Catherine Ashton, the European Union's policy chief. He is also set to telephone with Tony Blair, the envoy of the Middle East peace quartet, which is made up of the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia.

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