Germany warns against too much expection of key Iraq conference

Germany warned on Wednesday against too much expectations of the upcoming conference on the future of Iraq to be held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

"The conference should not be overloaded with too much expectations. However, it is also quite clear that the stabilization of Iraq requires the assistance of neighbor states as well as the international community," said German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger on Wednesday.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will leave for Egypt on Thursday to join top diplomats from around the world for the two-day conference on stabilizing Iraq.

The Sharm el-Sheikh conference starts on Thursday with the launch of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), an initiative providing a framework for Iraq's security and economic development. A ministerial meeting of states neighboring Iraq will also be held there on Friday.

At Sharm el-Sheikh, Steinmeier will also attend an informal gathering of the Middle East Quartet, comprising the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and Russia, on the sideline of the Iraq conference. Germany holds the rotating EU presidency.

He is also scheduled to visit the Palestinian territories, Israel and will conclude his trip with a stop in Riyadh to represent the EU at a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Jaeger said that Steinmeier was fully aware that his trip was being undertaken under difficult circumstances, but he also believed that there had been some constructive beginnings in the Middle East peace process and efforts should be made to continue the fragile negotiation process.

Source: Xinhua