German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stands on a podium before a family picture with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the yard of Gottorf Palace in the northern German resort town of Schleswig December 21, 2004. Putin welcomed proposals for Germany and the European Union to help resolve the conflict in Chechnya as he arrived in Germany on Monday for two days of talks with Chancellor Schroeder. REUTERS/Christian Charisius WR/SM