German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the urgency of finding a solution to the Middle East conflict but warned there were no guarantees this could be achieved, in remarks Tuesday to journalists in Berlin according to DPA. Asked about her response to US President George W Bush's recent initiative to push the Israeli and Palestinian sides into substantive talks, Merkel said there was "no alternative" to finding a solution. "The urgency has risen in recent years, rather than declined," the chancellor said. "There is no guarantee, but it would be disastrous not to try." Bush's initiative, made at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November, aims at a resolution of the major points of difference between the two parties by the end of this year. Merkel was also asked what Germany would say to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, who is expected to visit Berlin soon. "The Syrian Foreign Minister will be told we expect Syria to play a constructive role in Lebanon's presidential election," Merkel said. "I don't see this sufficiently at the moment and this will be made clear once more with all forcefulness," she said.
