Germany to focus on Mid East and Afghans

Germany plans to organize major conferences on the Middle East and Afghanistan during September when it chairs the UN Security Council, German Ambassador Peter Wittig said Wednesday. But Syria is not officially on the monthly programme of work, Wittig said, because there is no official UN presence in Syria after UN ceasefire monitors pulled out last month. However, the country was "very much on our minds," he said. Wittig said the 15-nation council would hold a high-level meeting on September 26 to be attended by heads of state and foreign ministers to debate the changes in the Mideast brought about by the Arab Spring and the growing role of the Arab League. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will preside over the council debate, which will take place during the UN General Assembly annual session. In practice, any council member can call for a meeting on Syria should a major development demand the body's attention. For now, Syria is a programme footnote - because of the lack of official UN presence in the country - alongside issues in Somalia and nuclear non-proliferation. "We want to focus on the emerging role of the Arab League as a significant actor in conflict resolution," Wittig said, calling the group a "first rate regional actor" for its role in the Arab Spring in the past two years. Germany will organize a special debate in the council on Afghanistan on September 20 to discuss the country's transition to sovereign government following the departure of NATO and US forces in 2014. Germany provides about 3,000 troops to NATO. Wittig said a third priority for Germany will be to organize a debate on September 19 on the issue of children and armed conflict.