Obama meets Germany’s Merkel next week, Afghanistan, economy on agenda

Obama meets Germany’s Merkel next week

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Washington on June 26.

The formal announcement said the president “looks forward to welcoming” the German leader for discussions “on a broad agenda of global issues of mutual concern.”

Merkel has been critical of some Obama policies as he tries to pull the United States out of the deep economic recession. At the same time, she is disinclined to boost the German troop presence in the NATO contingent in Afghanistan.