Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to embark on a new mediation mission to the Middle East on Wednesday, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Steinmeier planned to visit Jerusalem, the West Bank town of Ramallah and the Egyptian capital Cairo in an effort to accelerate efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, spokesman Jens Ploetner said.

Steinmeier visited the region over the weekend and offered German assistance in improving security along Gaza's borders in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the coastal strip.

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday that he will travel to the Middle East this weekend on a mediation mission aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza.

Steinmeier said he would be holding talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and representatives of the Israeli government.

The minister has held a series of telephone contacts with key players in the region in a bid to achieve a "humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his concern Sunday at the escalation in fighting triggered by Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"The latest military action has sent hopes of an early cessation of hostilities receding into the distance," the minister said in a statement released in Berlin.

Steinmeier discussed the situation in separate telephone calls on Sunday with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday sounded out the chances for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach the embattled Gaza Strip.

Steinmeier conferred by phone with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and the foreign ministers of Egypt and Syria, Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Walid Muallim, the foreign ministry said in Berlin.

The minister said such a ceasefire would allow time for diplomatic efforts to permanently halt the violence, which has seen more than 360 Palestinians die since Israel launched airstrikes on Saturday.

Berlin- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged parliament Wednesday to approve German participation in a European Union anti-piracy operation off Somalia.

"It's not something out of an adventure story," Chancellor Angela Merkel's deputy told the lower house or Bundestag during the first reading of a bill on the naval mission.

Steinmeier said pirates had seized more than 200 ships off the Horn of Africa this year and were currently holding 17 vessels and some 200 crewmembers hostage.

New Delhi, Nov 20 : German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal KrishnaAdvani in New Delhi on Thursday.

Steinmeier is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the course of his visit.

Steinmeier, who is also vice-chancellor of Germany, is on a three-day maiden visit to India, to discuss various bilateral issues including enhancing trade ties between the two countries.

Issues like current global economic crisis and environment protection are likely to be the focus during his visit.