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Merkel makes historic US address Merkel makes historic US address
(40 minutes later)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a rare address to both houses of Congress, has appealed to the US to join efforts on global warming. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a rare address to both houses of Congress, has called on the US to join European efforts on global warming.
Mrs Merkel - only the second German leader to address Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957 - received a standing ovation and sustained applause. She also said Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and reiterated Germany's commitment to Afghanistan.
In her remarks, she insisted that Iran must be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Mrs Merkel is only the second German chancellor to address Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957.
And she reiterated Germany's commitment to fostering security in Afghanistan. Before her address on Capitol Hill, Mrs Merkel was hailed as an "extraordinary leader" by US President Barack Obama.
Before her address on Capitol Hill, Mrs Merkel held talks at the White House with President Barack Obama, who hailed her as an "extraordinary leader".
"Germany has been an extraordinarily strong ally on a whole host of international issues," Mr Obama said, with Mrs Merkel at his side in the Oval Office."Germany has been an extraordinarily strong ally on a whole host of international issues," Mr Obama said, with Mrs Merkel at his side in the Oval Office.
Thorny issuesThorny issues
He praised the German chancellor - re-elected in September at the helm of a centre-right coalition - for her leadership on "the issue of climate change". Mrs Merkel - who was re-elected in September at the helm of a centre-right coalition - was welcomed with a standing ovation and her remarks were frequently met with sustained applause.
President Obama also thanked Mrs Merkel for her country's "sacrifice" in keeping forces in Afghanistan. The German leader told Congress there was "no time to lose" on fighting climate change.
The Afghanistan issue was expected to prove a thorny one during the bilateral talks, says BBC Berlin correspondent Steve Rosenberg. She urged the US to sign up to internationally binding obligations that global warming must not exceed 2C at the UN-backed meeting in Copenhagen in December.
She said China and India would be more likely to support a deal if Europe and the US set an example.
On the issue of Iran's nuclear weapons programme, Mrs Merkel called for a "zero tolerance" policy.
"A nuclear bomb in the hands of an Iranian president who denies the Holocaust, threatens Israel and denies Israel the right to exist, is not acceptable," she said, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
And on Afghanistan, Mrs Merkel said Germany would "travel this road together, every step of the way" with the US, but offered no specific commitments.
The Afghanistan issue is likely to prove a thorny one during bilateral talks, says BBC Berlin correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
The US wants Germany to send more troops to Afghanistan, a request that would not go down well with the German public, says our correspondent.The US wants Germany to send more troops to Afghanistan, a request that would not go down well with the German public, says our correspondent.
Also expected to be on the agenda for talks was Iran, which has close trading ties with Germany. On a personal note, Mrs Merkel recounted her days as a child in East Germany, and expressed thanks to the US for its role in the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago this month.
President Obama is expected to seek backing for economic sanctions if there is no resolution to the dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme.
As the Copenhagen summit approaches, Mrs Merkel is also likely to push for stronger US backing for a deal on tackling climate change.
"The fight against climate change is one of the most urgent tasks worldwide," she said in a video message at the weekend.
The issues of how to bring peace to the Middle East, financial reform and global economic recovery are also on the agenda.