BERLIN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel had "very open and in-depth" talks Thursday with U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama, a government spokesman said.

    During the one-hour talks, Merkel and Obama exchanged views on a wide range of key international issues, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East peace process, spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said in a statement.

    They also discussed the trans-Atlantic economic partnership, climate and energy issues, the state of the global economy and "the need for cooperation on the international level and in international organizations to solve important global questions," he said.

    Merkel and Obama emphasized the "great significance of close and friendly German-American relations," the spokesman said, adding that there was "a very good atmosphere" at the talks.

    Obama arrived in the German capital Thursday after ending a visit to the Middle East.

    Later on Thursday, he is scheduled to have a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    The Illinois senator will make a key speech Thursday night in front of the 226-foot (68.88-meter) high Victory Column, a symbolic construction of Berlin, aimed at enhancing his foreign policy credentials for the U.S. electorate.

    The speech has symbolic value as several U.S. presidents, including John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, have also made significant addresses in Berlin.

    After Germany, Obama will visit France and Britain during the remaining part of his week-long overseas tour, which has taken him to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.