BERLIN, JULY 23, SPA -- GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL CALLED FOR AN END TO THE VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SAYING IN AN INTERVIEW RELEASED SUNDAY THAT THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL WAS THE KEY TO FINDING A PERMANENT SOLUTION. THE FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, HAS BEEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST MEETING WITH OFFICIALS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CONFLICT, AS PART OF A SERIES OF DIPLOMATIC MEETINGS AIMED AT ENDING THE OFFENSIVE IN LEBANON. MERKEL SAID GERMANY WOULD SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN THE REGION AS WELL AS PARTICIPATING IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS, BUT SAID SHE SAW NO NEED FOR GERMANY TO TAKE PART IN A PEACEKEEPING FORCE. «AT THE MOMENT, I CAN’T SEE THAT,» MERKEL TOLD ZDFPUBLIC TELEVISION IN AN ANNUAL INTERVIEW TO BE BROADCAST LATER IN THE DAY. «I THINK OUR INTEREST IS FIRSTLY, THAT THE LEBANESEGOVERNMENT BE STRENGTHENED, AND THAT WE GRANT HUMANITARIAN HELP TO REDUCE THE SUFFERING OF THE PEOPLE THERE, SO THAT WHAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED CAN BE REBUILT,» MERKEL WAS QUOTED AS SAYING BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. «BUT THAT WE STEP INTO AN ACUTE CONFLICT, AT THE MOMENT I DON’T SEE THAT AS NECESSARY.» SHE SAID SHE SAW THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL AND THEENFORCING OF ITS RESOLUTION GRANTING THE LEBANESEGOVERNMENT FULL CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY AS THE «KEY» TO RESOLVING THE CONFLICT. --SPA 1609 Local Time 1309 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/377662