Foreign Minister Westerwelle in Washington

Enlarge image (© picture-alliance) Guido Westerwelle is currently in Washington to meet, among others, his American counterpart Hillary Clinton and the Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde. He will also give a speech on Europe and the euro.

Close coordination with the US
This US trip at the start of the year is intended to enhance the intensive bilateral exchange and the close coordination with US Secretary of State Clinton. Among other things, the focus will be on security issues: the next NATO summit will be taking place in Chicago this May and this trip will provide an opportunity to discuss the main topics ahead of the summit.
The Chicago summit is to further develop the decisions made by the last NATO summit in Lisbon in November 2010 – above all, in the spheres of missile defence and the review of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. It will also examine the Afghanistan strategy post 2014 and NATO’s partnerships in the Mediterranean region.
International issues
Another topic the Minister will discuss is the situation in North Africa and in the Middle East. In common with the US, Germany has long since been pressing for the UN Security Council to adopt a firm position on Syria. Germany and the US also support the Arab League’s efforts to improve the situation in that country.
There is also agreement on Iran. Germany and the US want to increase the political pressure on the country through sanctions and thus persuade it to meet its international obligations, inter alia vis-à-vis the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The German Foreign Minister’s Washington visit is part of the regular exchange between the German Government and the US Administration on international issues. The United States is Germany’s closest ally outside Europe. Guido Westerwelle and Hillary Clinton last met in December 2011 at the Afghanistan Conference in Bonn and at the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels.

European debt crisis
The Minister will also discuss Europe and the sovereign debt crisis, both with Secretary of State Clinton and IMF Director Christine Lagarde. What is more, Guido Westerwelle will give a speech on the euro at the Brookings Institute and discuss the issue with the audience.
The Minister has repeatedly stressed that Europe needs to carry out fundamental structural reform in order to strengthen competitiveness and growth.
The Brookings Institute is regarded as one of the most important think tanks in the United States. It was established in 1916 with a view to creating the first private organization to analyse public policy at national level. It is based in Washington and was involved in the foundation of the United Nations and in the Marshall Plan.

Updated: 20 January 2012

Source: FFO