WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, an ardent foe of the Iraq war, will visit the White House to discuss bilateral issues, the White House said Friday.
The Feb. 27 meeting and working lunch with President George W. Bush in Washington would be Schroeder's first since the Iraq war.
The two leaders have met, however, on several occasions elsewhere.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan noted Germany was playing a key role in helping maintain stability in Afghanistan and was leading the way in expanding NATO's International Security and Assistance Force beyond Kabul, the Afghan capital.
A senior administration official told UPI Germany was also seen as a key partner in bettering trans-Atlantic relations and that the visit should be viewed as part of the continuing process of putting aside past differences.
U.S.-German relations began to cool even before the Iraq conflict when Schroeder bannered opposition to U.S. policies in his re-election campaign.
Before his meeting with Bush, Schroeder was slated to visit Chicago to give a speech on trans-Atlantic relations.
