I have great respect for press freedoms. At the same time, however, a politician also has the freedom to decide whether he or she will accept an invitation to appear on a show or not.

Freedom does not mean being free of something, but to be free to do something.

There is anything but an assurance of success, I have to be very clear about that.

The US military has achieved a decisive blow against al-Qaeda with its commando action against Osama Bin Laden and his killing.

From a German point of view, German-American and European-American relations are a pillar of our foreign policy.

Trying to keep a society together, trying to keep the older and the younger people together, trying to keep those who live in rural areas together with those who live in cities is one of the most important and most noble tasks of politicians these days.

When we, for example, see shifts of huge production lines from certain areas to other countries, people tend to ask the question, "Where's my place in this modern world?" We have this here, this tendency in our country, we have it in other countries.