U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the German Foreign Office in Berlin on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday January 18, 2007. Before her visit to Germany, Secretary Rice was in the Middle East where she consulted with regional leaders and explored ways to help the parties make progress toward resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, continue discussions on the way forward in Iraq, and advance other issues of regional importance.