BERLIN, March 20 (Reuter) - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle dismissed on Sunday allegations that Berlin is internationally isolated after refusing to join its NATO allies in staging military strikes on Libya.
Germany abstained on Thursday in the U.N. Security Council vote authorising the action, breaking ranks with the United States, France and Britain, and joining China and Russia.
"The impression that Germany is isolated in Europe or the international community is completely wrong. Many other countries in the European Union not only understand our position, not only respect it, but also share it," he told a news conference.
Asked which EU countries shared Berlin's policy, Westerwelle named Poland.
The government's decision to opt out of any military action in Libya has drawn furious criticism at home. One newspaper accused Berlin of siding with dictators rather than its most important NATO allies, and on Sunday a senior politician within the ruling coalition questioned the decision to abstain.
Westerwelle said 7,000 German troops were on foreign missions, including 5,000 in Afghanistan. "We are meeting our international obligations," he said. (Reporting by David Stamp; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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