Germany's Moral Duty

Ahead of her visit to the United States on Friday where talks on further sanctions on Iran are likely to dominate proceedings, Merkel told a predominantly Jewish audience that she felt a moral duty to protect Israel and would stand firm in the face of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its threats to wipe the Jewish state off the map.

After receiving the Leo Baeck Prize from Germany's Central Council of Jews for her efforts to improve relations between Jews and non-Jews and between Germany and Israel, Merkel told the audience in Berlin that she felt honor-bound to fight racism and to foster close ties between Germans and the Jewish community.

Merkel said that receiving the prize highlighted the responsibility she and Germany had for protecting the Jewish state.

"It means intervening to protect the safety of Israel today and in the future, as well as our common values of democracy and the rule of law," she said.

"It took more than 40 years for Germany as a whole to accept the responsibility it carries to ensure the safety of Israel," she added. "Only by accepting Germany's past can we lay the foundation for the future. Only in as far as we acknowledge our responsibility for the moral catastrophe of Germany's history can we build a humane future."

Germany should be judged on actions, says Merkel

The chancellor said that Germany should not merely pay lip service to these principles but will be judged on how firmly it reacts to breaches inside its borders but also beyond them.

"How firmly do we react when the Iranian president wants to destroy Israel and to belittle the Holocaust?" she asked. "I believe that in the face of the threat Iran's nuclear program poses to Israel, our responsibility must be more than empty words. These words must be backed up by deeds. My government will follow its words with action."

Merkel will hold talks with US President George W. Bush on how to resolve the Iranian crisis. Washington is canvassing its allies for support in its push to obtain harder sanctions on Tehran over fears that Iran's nuclear program is a cover for developing atomic weapons, an accusation Iran strenuously denies.

Chancellor reiterates support for tougher Iran sanctions

The chancellor reiterated her support for tougher UN sanctions against Iran if it fails to comply with the demands of the international community to halt sensitive nuclear work.

"We and our partners are working towards a diplomatic solution," she said. "Part of this process is a readiness on the part of Germany to agree to wider, stricter sanctions if Iran does not comply.

"I made this plain in my speech to the United Nations at the end of September and I repeat it in all my political consultations and I repeat it here today," added the chancellor.

Germany throws weight behind Middle East peace process

Merkel also addressed the current Middle East crisis and told the audience in Berlin that Germany would do all it could to bolster the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

The so-called Middle East Quartet -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and United Nations -- will convene with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Annapolis in the US later this month to discuss the peace process at a meeting which Merkel called a "major opportunity."

"The peace conference in Annapolis offers a major opportunity to bring movement back into the peace process," she said. "Everything the German government can do to support this process will be done. That is why President Bush and I will fully discuss the subject during my visit this weekend to Texas as well as the next step regarding Iran."