Coming just a year and a half after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and just months after a bloody war with Israel that led to over a thousand civilian deaths, Tuesday's assasination of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel has thrown the country into turmoil yet again. His slaying underscores the tensions between the anti-Syrian government and the pro-Damascus Shiite Hezbollah.

And as happened when Hariri was killed last year, fingers are yet again being pointed at the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad. German papers on Wednesday weigh in on the situation, saying that if Syria is indeed responsible, then the events bode poorly for hopes that Washington can work together with Damascus and Tehran to bring future stability to the Middle East.

The conservative daily Die Welt warns that Syria is squandering its opportunity to play a key role in stability efforts:

"He is the fifth prominent Syrian to be killed since the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri last year. His son Saad is blaming hegemonial power Syria, which he says does not want to give way (in Lebanon). By doing so, he risks becoming the next person on the hit list. As Lebanon's bigger neighbor, Syria should be serving as a force of order in the country and exercizing its influence on the Shiite Hezbollah. But instead it is deliberately fomenting unrest.

"A new architecture of power is forming in the region and Damascus wants to profit from it. This is also demonstrated by the political accolades Syria has received from aspiring regional power Iran, including the invitation President Ahmadinejad has extended to Syrian President Bashar Assad to visit Tehran. London and Washington have been encouraging Syria and Iran to participate in the search for a new order in the Near and Middle East. But (yesterday's killing) clearly can't be what they were asking for."

The Financial Times Deutschland is equally concerned that the role Syrians want to play in the region is primarily a destructive one:

"The bloody events in Beirut serve as a reminder of the real matter at hand, indeed something that is being mentioned with ever-increasing frequency: Syria and Iran must play a key role in stabilizing the Middle East, from the Gaza Strip to Iraq. But the confident Iranians and their helpers, the ailing Assad regime in Syria, have completely different intentions for the region than the West and the Middle East's weak democratic powers. Namely, they want to deal a painful defeat to the Americans and any plans for a new Middle East."

Gemayel's murder, the business daily Handelsblatt warns, is a reminder of how the West has neglected the most important Middle East crisis since the 9/11 terror attacks. During that time, we've seen invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and hawkish saber rattling with Iran, but the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has almost completely dropped off the radar.

"This neglect is dangerous and this powderkeg could easily explode. Even the massive engagement of (peacekeeping) troops in Lebanon will be a failure if it isn't accompanied with political progress. Indeed, the murder of the Christian politician (Gemayel) shows just how quickly state authorities can collapse there."

This weekend, Iraqi president Jalal Talabani is expected to join Assad and Ahmadenijad in Tehran for a summit between the three neighboring state on how to stop Iraq from spiralling further into a civil war. The move comes as Iraq and Syria are reinstating diplomatic ties for the first time in 24-years. Damascus and Baghdad also agreed that United States troops should remain in Iraq as long as they are needed -- a move that could help to chip away some resistance in Washington to working together with Damascus.

These developments also get major play in German dailies.

The leftist Die Tageszeitung writes:

"The one thing these countries have in common is that not a single one is interested in a having a bloody civil war in Iraq. Iran has much to offer -- and without the help of the Shiite state, its difficult to imagine any way of stopping the marauding Shiite militias. For its part, Syria has good contacts with Sunni insurgents.

"The only thing left to be determined is the price. Iran, surrounded by US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan wants to buy security. The main negotiating question will be whether a creative solution can be found for the Iranian nuclear program that would enable to the Americans to save face and, in exchange, provide security guarantees. Topping Syria's wish list is the return of the Golan Heights and a normalization of relations with Lebanon. Damascus would also like to see the Hariri investigation be dropped.

The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is wary, but also cautiously optimistic:

"The jubilation in Baghdad over the announcement that Syria and Iraq will resume diplomatic relations evokes both hope and despair. At least some distrust is appropriate -- after all, Assad will demand something in return ... Nor is it humanitarian motives that have inspired Iran to hold a three-way summit in Tehran. Whether or not Iran is truly capable and willing to show the regional leadership it is claiming has yet to be seen. Nevertheless, there does appear to be some political movement in the region."