Germany's new chancellor, Angela Merkel, told France on Wednesday it remained a key ally as she began a lightning tour intended to reassure her European Union partners she plans no major foreign policy changes.
Merkel has said she wants better ties with the United States but sent a clear signal to the rest of the EU by deciding to visit Paris and then Brussels on her first full day as Germany's leader. She plans to visit EU president Britain on Thursday.
"I am confident we will manage to develop our cordial relationship," Merkel told a news conference after talks with French President Jacques Chirac, who greeted her with a kiss on the hand at his presidential Elysee Palace.
Standing beside her, Chirac said: "We are very touched by this show of friendship, this honour she is paying us today. I have told Mrs Merkel that in my view, and I know it is hers as well, the Franco-German relationship is something special."
Chirac underlined the need for France and Germany to continue to be Europe's engine at a time when it faces major challenges, but without imposing their will on others.
"If we do not get on, the system becomes blocked and Europe is a bit like a car with a broken part," he said.
Merkel, the first woman chancellor and the first from the former communist east, was confirmed by parliament on Tuesday.
She was due to spend two hours in Paris before going to Brussels to meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and the heads of Nato and the European Parliament. She meets British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Thursday.
Merkel's predecessors, Gerhard Schroeder and Helmut Kohl, began with visits to Paris and pledged to uphold the Franco-German axis that has underpinned postwar German foreign policy.
Merkel said the close relationship between Paris and Berlin was a "miracle", given a history of conflict including two world wars during the last century.
She also said eastern and central European states must continue to play an important role in Germany's European policies.
BETTER TIES WITH WASHINGTON: Merkel has pledged to boost ties with Washington after deep rifts over the Iraq war, and her meeting in Brussels with Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is intended to underline the importance of the transatlantic partnership, aides said.
But her aides say German foreign policy will not undergo any radical shift under the new government of conservatives and Social Democrats.
Pressing problems in Europe, such as the need for a quick deal on the next EU budget, mean the day-to-day partnership with France and the Union remains vital.
Europe faces many challenges after French and Dutch voters rejected the EU's constitution this year, leaving the 25-nation bloc without a clear road map.
The EU wants to set out a clear response to globalisation, overhaul its welfare system to cope with an ageing population and reshape its institutions following its enlargement.
Much will depend on the personal tone struck by Merkel. Her prosaic style contrasts with her media-friendly predecessor Schroeder, who enjoyed a close relationship with Chirac.
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