RIYADH, 4 February 2007 — German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in the Kingdom today as part of a four-day trip to the Middle East that has already taken her to Egypt. Her visit is the first to Saudi Arabia since she became chancellor 14 months ago. After leaving the Kingdom, she will go to the United Arab Emirates and then to Kuwait.
Merkel is expected to meet Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, according to officials at the German Embassy in Riyadh. Accompanying the chancellor are government officials and German journalists.
Topping the agenda for discussions are Iraq, Iran, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said last week that the Middle East peace process was one of the main topics to be discussed with the German chancellor.
Merkel said Saturday that she was hopeful the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be resolved through a two-state solution. “The timeframe appears favorable,” the chancellor said in her weekly Internet video address which coincided with the start of her trip to the Middle East. “It is extremely gratifying that the Mideast Quartet has gathered and the international community is again taking responsibility,” she said in reference to Friday’s meeting of the four-member mediation panel in Washington.
Merkel said she was aware of the “threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program” and said her talks with Middle Eastern leaders in the Middle East aimed at Iran’s living up to its commitments to the international community.
The German Embassy said that Merkel was also expected to meet GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah as part of EU discussions with the GCC to finalize the free trade agreement.
