NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer(R) welcomes new German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel for a bilateral meeting at NATO headquarters, in Brussels. (AFP photo)

    BEIJING, Nov. 24 -- Germany's new Chancellor Angela Merkel signaled Wednesday that the time has come for improving relations with the United States bruised by Germany's opposition to US-led war in Iraq.

    "I believe the ties between the United States and Germany can be developed further," she said after talks with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer during her whirlwind trips to Paris and Brussels.

    However, she also said she would not allow Germans to train Iraqi troops inside Iraq, sticking with Schroeder's policy. She said Germany would still provide such training in other countries in the Middle East.

    Although NATO's members split over the Iraq war, Merkel said the alliance's 26 members must return to common political purpose.

    During her stop in Paris, Merkel stressed continuity in Berlin-Paris ties.

    Merkel said her choice of Paris as the first stop on her tour of European capitals "reflects the deep conviction that a good German-French relationship, a friendly, a deep relationship, is not only important for our two countries but also necessary and desirable for Europe."

    When meeting with senior European Union officials, Merkel pledged her support for the proposed EU constitution, but she avoided taking a public stand on some of the EU's most prickly issues, including how the bloc should allocate its budget and whether Turkey should become a full member.

    She is due to visit London later today, where the European Union's unresolved budget is likely to top the agenda. Enditem

(Agencies)