Joschka Fischer, German foreign minister, said he considered resigning over the visa-abuse scandal that has engulfed the German government, but decided to remain because of other foreign and domestic political "challenges".

Mr Fischer's comments in a weekend interview show that he remains under severe political pressure as a result of his role in changes in visa application rules instituted by his ministry, which allowed tens of thousands of people in Ukraine and other eastern European countries to obtain tourist visas on false grounds.