Germany asks Israel torethink terrorist killings

19 April 2004

BERLIN – A German Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday called on Israel to think about the consequences of targeted killings such as that of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Ranteesi at the weekend.

“The German government is against targeted killings,” said chief foreign ministry spokesman Walter Lindner at a news briefing.

Lindner, however, refused to say if Berlin condemned the killing of Ranteesi despite repeated questioning by reporters.

Germany, he said, had always supported Israel’s right to defend itself.

But he added: “Israel should always think about the consequences of these actions.”

In a related development, Lindner said it had not been decided whether the Quartet – the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations – would meet in Berlin next week in a bid to put the Mideast peace process back on track.

European leaders want a meeting as soon as possible.

DPA

Subject: German news