Meeting unpopular leaders a necessity, says German president

Record ID: 898673

  • Title: Meeting unpopular leaders a necessity, says German president
  • Date: 9th July 2017
  • Summary: HAMBURG, GERMANY (JULY 9, 2017) (REUTERS) CONVOY OF GERMAN PRESIDENT FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, WHO HOLDS A LARGELY CEREMONIAL ROLE, ARRIVING STEINMEIER GETTING OUT OF CAR POLICE OFFICERS STANDING AND LOOKING ON STEINMEIER WALKING STEINMEIER SPEAKING TO POLICE OFFICERS, WALKING TO CAMERAS WITH HAMBURG MAYOR OLAF SCHOLZ POLICE OFFICERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN PRESIDENT, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "It will always be the case -- and I have seen this over many years in a different position -- that those with whom we must speak are often not those who are too popular in their own country and maybe not in Germany either. But this does not change the fact that especially with the big problems -- look at the Syria issue where there was a discussion here between the Russian and the American president -- that especially for such difficult topics there must be a place to hold such talks." POLICE OFFICERS LISTENING STEINMEIER SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN PRESIDENT, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "The pictures I have seen are shocking and they make me speechless, but they're all the more reason to be here and to thank those who stood up to this violence." STEINMEIER SPEAKING TO MEDIA STEINMEIER WALKING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2017 10:43
  • Keywords: G20 Steinmeier president riots police Hamburg
  • Location: HAMBURG, GERMANY
  • City: HAMBURG, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: G20,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016OZU2PZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday (July 9) condemned three consecutive nights of rioting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, but despite the violence he said it was necessary to hold such meetings to bring leaders together to discuss pressing problems in the world.
    Steinmeier, who twice served as his country's foreign minister, said he often saw that leaders "with whom we must speak" were not popular in their own country, but that it was essential to talk to each other.
    He mentioned the meeting on Syria between the presidents of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
    Responding to criticism that Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, was unsuitable to host an event like the G20, Steinmeier said there had to be a place to hold such talks.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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