Germany believes unilateral moves – such as declaring Palestinian independence – would be "very counterproductive" to the Middle East peace process, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned this week.
The minister held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah and later with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
“I’d like to make one thing very clear here: we oppose unilateral steps. We are convinced that unilateral steps – even against the backdrop of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in September – would be counterproductive,” he told a joint press conference with Lieberman in Jerusalem.
“We want to see full fledged negotiations, not unilateral steps. We are in favor of a two-state solution – but one that is reached through negotiations and mutual understanding. Anything else would jeopardize the cause of peace; and in the final analysis we want to expand the scope of peace and security for Israel and all other States in the region,” he added.
He stressed that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians remained the best way to achieve a peace deal, even though talks have been on hold since late September 2010.
"Germany supports a two-state solution. We support the Palestinian people in having an independent state."
German officials have already said publicly that they oppose the Palestinian plan to ask the United Nations for membership and recognition.
Development Minister Dirk Niebel, who accompanied Westerwelle this week, told Der Spiegel magazine last week that the trip would underline Berlin's reservations about the Palestinian plan.
"We must convince the Palestinians that a unilateral declaration of independence is the wrong way to go," he said.
He said the German ministers would instead advise the Palestinian leadership to present a resolution calling for a two-state solution with Israel based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and mutually agreed land swaps, as proposed by US President Barack Obama.

France and other European countries have indicated they would eventually recognize a Palestinian state while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she would not until a broader peace deal with Israel is agreed.
During his press conference with Lieberman, Westerwelle also made an appeal to Gilad Shalit’s captors to free him. “Let him return to his family. I am asking for this in the name of humaneness, and I wanted to be sure to not let this day go by without making this appeal.”