It's not easy being Germany's chief diplomat these days. At least not if you're traveling in the Middle East. Lebanon's government is struggling to stay in power and the truce between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is, at best, fragile. Sectarian violence in Iraq is becoming deadlier each month. In Damascus, Steinmeier is seeking to persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to play a stronger role in bringing peace to the region.

Steinmeier's aims may be lofty, but German commentators on Monday warn against overly high expectations of the foreign minister's peace mission.

The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

"Steinmeier's travel itinerary shows the degree to which everything is interlinked in the Middle East. If a fire breaks out in one place, there's a danger that it could set fire to the entire region. This is especially true of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. A cease-fire has yet again been negotiated, but it's hard to see that as being the first step back to productive negotiations. Instead, the truce in fighting appears to be the result of sheer helplessness on both sides. With the kidnapping of two Israel soldiers and the unsuccessful march on the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah, the Israeli government's one-sided withdrawal from large portions of occupied territories has gone up in smoke. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are literally struggling after the victory of radical Islamic Hamas to establish a government capable of acting. "

"Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the government of Sunni Prime Minister Fuad Siniora is on the verge of collapse. That's because Shiites have become the country's largest ethnic group. However, they are politically underrepresented (in government). In addition, there is also Syria, which doesn't recognize Lebanon as a sovereign state and seeks to foment unrest by any means necessary to assert pressure on Israel."

"That Steinmeier is now including Damascus in his itinerary is really little more than pulling at any string that could possibly relieve the slew of problems in the Middle East."

Without his visit with Syria's Assad, writes the business daily Handelsblatt, this trip would otherwise be routine:

"He has been to Israel alone five times this year. But his recent trips to the region are special, not only because he has defied criticism of allies in visiting Syria. In January, Germany will take over the EU-presidency and the chief of German diplomacy has his own initiatives in mind. In contrast to earlier visits, the tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have eased a little -- but the improvement is far from stable."

The conservative daily Die Welt looks at Steinmeier, the European Union chief diplomat Javier Solana and other diplomats offering their support to beleaguered Siniora and sees little more than lip-service:

"Lebanon is at the brink of a civil war. But there are still possibilities for avoiding it. But there is no evidence that the Europeans truly support Siniora and the moderate parties or that they will defend them. Quickly calling for a summit of important countries could send a clear signal. The participants must threaten Syria with painful consequences if Damascus allows Hezbollah to force the (Lebanese) government to collapse. They must also provide an aid package to Siniora that will help him economically and increase his strength amongst the populace. Nor would it hurt if the UNIFIL troops would more aggressively think about their present. But that's not happening."

"In both the Lebanese and Palestinian crises, the Europeans are displaying nothing but pure cluelessness – which they are attempting to veil with the usual Middle East phrases. The Lebanese conflict has not eased – it is hotter than ever and European soldiers are caught in the middle of it."

On a related note, the center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung looks to the weekend's mass Hezbollah-organized protests in Beirut, pointing a critical finger at Christian politician Michel Aoun, who has realigned himself with the Shiite extremists:

"In the more than one and a half years since the end of the civil war, the different factions in Lebanon have been unable to come up with a consensus that would be just to everyone and overcome an antiquated system that is based on religious membership. That's how the current dangerous situation developed. The government in Beirut seriously neglected the economic development of Shiite areas in the south. They've since become the largest ethnic group, but they are politically underrepresented. The sins of the Christians and Sunnis in government merely served to strengthen Hezbollah."

"Now Hezbollah is being strengthened by political skateboarder Aoun, who fought against the Syrians during the civil war. He recently created an alliance with the pro-Syrian Hezbollah. The point is to demand a reform of the electoral system. In exchange, Hezbollah has agreed to let the Maronite Christian be president in a government coalition. But once again, Lebanon is being torn by the political motivations of a single person. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, meanwhile, has said that he is neither a supporter of Syria nor Iran, but rather a patriot. But with his protests against the government, he has yet again placed his entire country's existence at risk."