Statement by the Press Secretary: President to Welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House

The President will welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel back to the White House on January 4, 2007. The visit will provide the two leaders an opportunity to continue their close consultations on global challenges, including promoting stability and reconstruction in Afghanistan, advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace, supporting the democratically elected government of Lebanon, preventing Iran from developing the capability to make nuclear weapons, ending the violence in Darfur, determining the final status of Kosovo, promoting free trade and further transatlantic economic integration, and advancing energy security. The German role on all of these issues will be especially important in 2007 as Germany assumes the presidencies of both the European Union and G-8 on January 1.