Israeli FM Calls for Action on Middle East Issues in Germany

Livni, on a 24-hour visit to Berlin during which she met with her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, spoke on German broadcaster ZDF's morning program early Tuesday about the need for the international community to press for the unconditional release of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by the Shiite militia Hezbollah.

Hezbollah guerrillas killed three Israeli soldiers and seized the two hostages in a cross-border raid on July12, sparking 34 days of fighting that ended on Aug. 14.

"The demand in the UN Security Council was for an immediate, unconditional release of the soldiers, and those are our expectations too," Livni said, referring to the UN resolution that ended the fighting. "At the moment, we expect from everyone, naturally including Germany, that they turn to Lebanese Prime Minister (Fuad) Saniora and call on him to take responsibility and take care of freeing the kidnapped soldiers."

She also stressed the need for Hezbollah to be disarmed, and added that "in my eyes, an organization that supports terror cannot be part of a political system. These organizations use democracy to spread their antidemocratic ideas."

An arms embargo "by all means necessary"

These remarks echoed those made previously on Monday when, directly after talks with Steinmeier, Livni said the beefed-up international force in southern Lebanon must enforce an arms embargo against Hezbollah "by all means necessary," calling it the top priority in securing the fragile ceasefire.

Livni said that the conflict would certainly flare again if the Shiite militia's arms supply were not stopped.

"The arms embargo is the most important thing," she said. "I know that those who believe in a better future (for) the region don't want to come back to the situation that we faced in the last years since Israel withdrew from Lebanon." She added that Hezbollah had used the six-year period to rearm with the help of Iran and Syria.

Steinmeier said he was confident that the rules of engagement for the international force which would enforce the peace could be hammered out this week and expected "decisive steps forward" at a conference for nations contributing troops Monday in New York.

Press reports over the weekend said Germany could send about 1,200 military personnel but Steinmeier declined to comment on the figure.

European Union states have pledged almost 7,000 troops, nearly half the number needed to bring the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to the 15,000 envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that paved the way for the two-week-old ceasefire.

Israel counting on Germany

Livni said later that Israel was counting on Germany to contribute to a robust international buffer force to police the ceasefire.

"I believe that Israel and Germany share the same interest and the same view, as part of the international community, for the need of the application of the Security Council resolution," she said before talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel said that in addition to a contribution to the force, Berlin would make a fresh effort to help restart to the Middle East peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

"That is exactly what we are going to talk about," the chancellor added before the meeting.

Germany has pledged to deploy a small naval unit to patrol the coastline of the border region between Israel and Lebanon and stop the flow of arms. But it has ruled out sending combat troops or police. Lebanon had also requested technical assistance from Germany for its border police at frontier checkpoints and airports.

Livni accuses Iran of stalling for time

Livni also took the opportunity to voice Israel's concern over the "threat" posed by Iran, saying the Islamic state was trying to buy time to build a nuclear weapon and she surged world leaders Monday to confront the Islamic republic.

"There is an additional threat, not just for the state of Israel but for the entire international community," she said. "The world must understand that it must act so that uranium enrichment is stopped in Iran. This is crucial for world peace."

Livni said the international community could not accept an equivocal Iranian response to an incentives package for stopping sensitive nuclear work, calling it an attempt to stall until Tehran can develop a nuclear weapon.

And later in a speech before the German Council on Foreign Relations, she demanded UN sanctions against Iran.

"This is a test for the international community," she said. "It's time for real sanctions."

Livni also met with members of parliament Monday and later laid a wreath at the Grunewald train station from which the first Berlin Jews were sent to the Nazi death camps. She travels to Denmark on Tuesday, which is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.