"In the foreseeable future" Germany will not participate in the International Stabilization Force (ISS) to implement the peace plan in the Gaza Strip, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
In statements to the German news agency published today, Wadeful said that German soldiers would not be part of the force, whose mission is to "ensure specific security conditions".
"Many people cannot imagine German soldiers doing this in this specific region," Wadeful said.
Germany is ready to play a constructive role in the structures provided for by the UN Security Council resolution, such as the "Peace Committee", DPA notes. However, Berlin has not yet received an official invitation to participate.
The upcoming second phase of US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza calls for the disarmament of the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" and the deployment of an international stabilization force. Two months after the ceasefire with Israel came into effect, "Hamas" still refuses to lay down its arms.
"It will be important that we are able to start all this very soon", the German foreign minister stressed. "We must not allow the current division of the Gaza Strip - into one part controlled by the Israeli army and another part increasingly controlled by "Hamas" - to remain permanent", Vaddeful warned.
At the same time, he acknowledged difficulties in implementing the peace plan and called for patience.
"Even if we want this to end tomorrow, we must prepare for the reality of a long process," Johan Vaddeful summarized.