Germany-US-Obama
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to meet with US Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama in Berlin on Thursday, government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm announced here Friday at a regular news conference.

The meeting is likely to take place at the chancellery, the Merkel spokesperson added.

Obama who is extremely popular among Germans and enjoys a pop star status, is also scheduled to give a landmark US foreign policy address at a yet unidentified venue in Berlin.

He has reportedly scrapped a plan to give a speech at Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate after Merkel voiced opposition to it.

The location of Obama's speech sparked disagreements within the German government as Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the US senator's plans at the Brandenburg Gate.

Merkel and Steinmeier had in the past differed over a series of foreign policy issues, among them China, Syria and Russia.

The Brandenburg Gate had been the scene of historic speeches by former American presidents Ronald Reagan in 1987 and Bill Clinton in 1994.