Bush to Meet German Chancellor This Week

German Chancellor Angela Merkel , right, and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki applaud during a reception in Berlin, Sunday, July 9, 2006. German President Horst Koehler invited several presidents and prime ministers to take part at a reception before the final of the World Cup 2006 tournament Italy against France later on Sunday. (AP Photo/Arnd Wiegmann,pool) (Arnd Wiegmann - AP)

Still, the administration believes the number of troops that Germany can deploy at long distances for extended periods of time is woefully small, given the country's size, wealth and potential. But there is a recognition that Merkel is constrained by a political climate in Germany that rejects greater investments in defense if they mean cuts in cherished social programs.

On Iraq, Merkel has pleased the administration by stressing the need for stability without dwelling on the merits of Bush's decision _ hugely unpopular in Germany _ to go to war in the first place.

Germany has never sent troops to Iraq but has been training police and civilians at centers in the United Arab Emirates, programs initiated under Schroeder. Germany also is donating $10 million to an Iraq national reconstruction fund.

Early on during her tenure, Merkel ingratiated herself with Washington by drawing a parallel between the anti-Semitism of Iranian President Mahmoud Amedinejad and that of Adolf Hitler.

"A president who questions Israel's right to exist, a president who denies the Holocaust, cannot expect Germany to show any tolerance at all on this issue. We have learned the lessons of our past," Merkel said.

Bush appreciates the role Germany has played under Merkel as one of three European Union countries trying to persuade Iran to forgo nuclear weapons. "Chancellor Merkel has been strong," Bush has said.

Merkel inherited that role from Schroeder, but has been more assertive in underscoring the need to confront Iran on the nuclear issue.

"We want to prevent the production of Iranian nuclear weapons, and we must," she has said. How to achieve that goal will be a dominant topic of her discussions this week with Bush.