Thursday, January 12, 2006

Merkel to tell Bush Germany can do more for Iraq - Yahoo! News

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will couple criticism of the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay with a vow to do more to help stabilize Iraq when she meets President George W. Bush on Friday, a senior German diplomat said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler, in an interview with the German daily Passauer Neue Presse published on Thursday, said however that German aid to Iraq would remain limited to the training of security personnel and humanitarian relief.

"Mrs Merkel will certainly speak in critical terms about Guantanamo when she is in Washington. She has signaled that herself," Erler said.

"At the same time, she will strengthen Germany's commitment to helping stabilize Iraq. We are talking about the areas where Germany is already present -- the training of security staff and humanitarian aid."

Merkel to tell Bush Germany can do more for Iraq - Yahoo! News

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