This story is from January 12, 2007

Merkel, the new voice of Europe

Mark Landler / Agencies / Jan 12, 2007, 21:55 IST

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Angela Merkel the 52-year-old German chancellor has emerged as the leading political actor in Europe.

BERLIN: When Angela Merkel was sworn in 14 months ago as Germany's chancellor, the first woman to hold the post, she seemed less a phenomenon than a fluke squeaking into office amid predictions that her government would be hobbled by internal problems and might soon collapse.
Now, with Britain and France in political flux and with Merkel having forged a surprisingly warm relationship with President Bush, the 52-year-old chancellor has emerged as the leading political actor in Europe not to mention the go-to person in Europe for Washington.
It is no accident that when US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice wraps up a tour of the Middle East next week, her first stop will be Berlin, where she will brief Merkel on efforts to revive the peace efforts in that region.
On a visit to Washington last week, Merkel won a pledge from Bush to focus more on the so-called quartet the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations to promote peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

"This enables the European Union, as a whole, to take on responsibility, and we want to take on responsibility for the Middle East process," Merkel said in an interview.
Her foray into the Middle East is one of several high-visibility initiatives by the chancellor as she assumes the rotating presidencies of the European Union and the Group of 8 industrial nations.
At the top of her agenda, analysts here say, is reinvigorating the Atlantic alliance. Her first foreign trip after assuming the dual presidencies was to the White House, where she proposed creating a trans-Atlantic economic zone and pressed Bush on climate-change policies.

"I consider it my job to express to America what's in the interest of Europe," Merkel said. "And for me, the trans-Atlantic partnership, in general, is in the European interest. Europeans know that we cannot accomplish things without America," she continued, "and on the other side, America must also know that Europe is needed in many areas."
Merkel is getting a respectful hearing in Washington in part because she is the only leader of a big-three European nation likely to be around at the end of this year.
NYT news service

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