In a Spiegel interview, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, 50, discusses the "repulsive" violence in Syria, his concerns about Germany's standing in Europe as a result of the euro crisis and his dis-satisfaction with the recent political impasse in Greece.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle: "It's undoubtedly
a moment of truth for Greece."
Photo: Maurice Weiss/ DER SPIEGEL

SPIEGEL: Minister Westerwelle, can you explain the behavior of your friend Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, on the question of Syria?

Westerwelle: In my assessment, Russia is concerned about losing influence in the region. That's why it regrettably voted against the Syria resolution in the United Nations Security Council. We have to make it clear to Russia that it doesn't jeopardize its own strategic interests by placing itself on the right side of history.

SPIEGEL: It seems a long way from arriving at that insight.

Westerwelle: My esteemed colleague Sergey Lavrov's visit to Damascus was certainly not a successful one. He didn't deliver the kinds of messages I would have hoped for.

SPIEGEL: You're putting it mildly. Lavrov claimed that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad is "completely committed to the task of stopping violence."

Westerwelle: During the negotiations in recent days, the Russians repeatedly stated that they felt that the violence wasn't just coming from the regime, but also from the opposition. I have made it clear, together with (U.S. Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton and others, that we cannot accept such a relativizing view. It was the Assad regime that responded to the justified protests for more freedom with violence and more violence. The things that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told me about the violence in Syria are so repulsive that I don't even want to repeat them to you.

SPIEGEL: What happens if the Russians still refuse to come around?

Westerwelle: We will not give up, despite the failed resolution. We are currently preparing the next round of European Union sanctions. We have proposed establishing a contact group of the friends of democratic Syria, to begin building political pressure. Also, I'm not willing to rule out that we will return to the United Nations, be it in the Security Council or the General Assembly. We support a proposal to establish a joint Arab League and U.N. observer mission, as well as the appointment of a U.N. special envoy for Syria.

SPIEGEL: Turkey is considering setting up protective zones for refugees along its border -- on Syrian territory.

Westerwelle: We are already providing humanitarian assistance. It's clear that we want to do more to help the refugees. We will discuss the matter with Turkey, because it is accepting by far the largest number of refugees.

SPIEGEL: Do you support a protective zone on Syrian territory, which would require military protection?