Riyadh, May 24, SPA -- German foreign minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier has highlighted the importance of the Saudi-German relations and said last year the 75th anniversary for the German-Saudi friendship agreement was observed. "Saudi Arabia constitutes an important partner for Germany due to its political weight in the region’, he said, adding that they had reviewed the Iranian nuclear issue. Addressing a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Steinmeier called for exerting efforts to prevent the occurrence of nuclear armament race in the Middle East which will lead to further instability. On the issue of Iraq, he said the Iraqi new government should obtain the required power and authority for the containment of violence. The German minister said he had reviewed the Middle East problem and underscored the importance of proceeding on the path of the peace process. He noted that the the EU countries hope that that the government of Hamas will give up violence and respect the agreements signed earlier. --MORE www.spa.gov.sa/363511