Fischer Says Middle East “Extremely Worrying”

At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said recent developments in the Middle East were "extremely worrying." The minister pointed towards a continuing cycle of violence in recent days and said Palestinian efforts at government-building and political instability were "anything but hopeful." On Sunday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie suggested he would quit next month after agreeing to head a 30-day caretaker cabinet. Fischer also said he didn’t approve of the high-protection wall that the Israeli government had erected on the borders to the Palestinian regions. "We refuse to accept this due to well-considered reasons," Fischer said. At the same time, Fischer approved a proposal by the EU Commission to shell out €200 million from EU coffers for the reconstruction of Iraq at a major donor conference in Madrid on October 23.