Obama, Merkel thrash out Islamabad, Kabul

Obama and the chancellor touched on Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East peace process as well as climate protection and the global economic crisis in an hour-long conversation, according to Merkel’s spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm. Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs called the talks “warm and productive” and said they had focused in particular on “the urgency of stopping Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons”.

Gibbs said the meeting with Steinmeier also covered Obama’s commitment to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and his concerns about rising tensions between Russia and Georgia, which the minister visited last week.

Merkel said Germany had no plans to go beyond pledges made last month for the NATO-led ISAF mission.