Germany-US-Obama
US presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday called for a deepening of the American-European partnership aimed at battling the new threats of the 21st century among them terrorism and climate warming.

Speaking to an estimated crowd of around 200,000 people at Berlin's historic Victory Column, Obama stressed America had "no better partner than Europe."
He made clear that US and American partnership was the "only way to protect common security."
The 46-year-old Democratic Party presidential hopeful urged also a "strong European Union."
Obama said no nation could "defeat those threats alone, no matter how powerful".

The senator from Illinois arrived Thursday morning in Berlin for a two-day visit in Germany.

Obama met also with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Talks dwelt on reviving transatlantic ties, NATO, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and climate protection.

Obama is extremely popular among Germans as various opinion polls over the past weeks have indicated.

The presidential contender enjoys approval ratings of up to 80 percent in Germany.

German-US ties were badly damaged during the presidency of George W. Bush because of Berlin's steadfast refusal to back the illegal American war in Iraq.