Doaa El-Bey scrutinises ongoing attempts to tackle the Palestinian problem, and other regional crises While the situation in Lebanon, Iraq and Darfur topped the agendas of both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Irish Foreign Minister Dermont Ahern during their recent visits to Cairo, it was inter-Palestinian fighting and ways to promote a national unity government in Palestine that received attention the most. Egypt was the first leg of Merkel's four-day tour of the Middle East. Since assuming the presidency of both the EU and G8, Germany has stressed its commitment to rekindling the peace process. Germany is also the current chair of Quartet meetings, and has said it will use the position to boost the Quartet's role in pushing forward the roadmap. "For me it is very important that the EU and the Quartet develop a coherent strategy so that all players are working towards the same goal," Merkel said during the press conference that followed her talks with President Hosni Mubarak. Her visit came a day after the Quartet convened in Washington to discuss how to move peace talks forward amid inter-Palestinian fighting. She discussed reconciliation and the formation of a national unity government during her meeting with Mubarak, the fourth since she came to office. The two also discussed Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, Iran's nuclear programme and the conflict in Somalia. Merkel also met Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, to discuss bilateral trade, as well as Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar. The German Chancellor also held talks with Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, discussing the outcome of the Quartet meeting, the situation in Lebanon and growing violence in Iraq. "She called for the formation of a national unity government and that is what we are seeking as well," Moussa said during a press briefing held after the two met. Merkel's tour also took her to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait for consultations to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Earlier, Ahern made a brief trip to Cairo as part of a Middle East tour that took him to Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. He met with his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Abul-Gheit, to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories. They both agreed that the EU should engage Syria in peace talks. Damascus, said Ahern, is too influential in the region to be excluded. During his meeting with Moussa, Ahern expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories. Both officials said they hoped to see an end to Palestinian fighting and the formation of a government of national unity in the near future. Ireland's ambassador to Cairo, Gerard Corr, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Dublin viewed the resolution of the Palestinian crisis as central to regional security. "Ireland has close ties with both the Palestinians and Israel. It also has experience of conflict resolution and is seeking to support progress on the Palestinian-Israeli issue in every possible way," he said. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan topped the agenda of the Ahern-Moussa meeting. Ahern expressed his conviction that the problem in Darfur could not be resolved by sending more UN troops, but, instead, needed greater cooperation between the UN and the African Union. On Lebanon, Ahern expressed his full support for the Arab League initiative, and ended his tour of the Middle East by visiting Irish troops stationed there. Economic and cultural cooperation also featured on both Ahern and Merkel's agendas. Merkel opened the German-Egyptian economic forum, which seeks to promote Egyptian-German economic cooperation, while Ahern held bilateral trade talks with Egypt's minister of trade and industry, Rachid Mohamed Rachid. Following the meeting, it was announced that an Irish trade mission comprising over 70 members would visit Egypt in Autumn 2007. The delegation is expected to promote investment and cooperation in the fields of human resources, development and information and communications technology. Moussa's visit to Russia, meanwhile, came within the framework of efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue and get the peace process back on track. Russia is the only member of the Quartet which did not boycott the Hamas-led Palestinian government. "Russia is a pivotal party and it is very important we hold continuous talks," Moussa said ahead of the visit which concluded late yesterday.
