HELP?

German defence minister Peter Struck has said that he supports the idea of a NATO operation in Iraq.

Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Mr Struck said that so long as there is a UN resolution asking for NATO's help, then there would be no reason to oppose the Alliance in Iraq.

The defence minister also did not exclude that German troops could take part in such an operation - a significant admission given Berlin's strong opposition to the American-led war in Iraq.

Friends again?

This is being seen as the second signal for a diplomatic reconciliation between Berlin and Washington after the US President George W. Bush surprised Germany on Friday with warm words of praise about German troops in Afghanistan.

"Not only is Germany's participation [in Afghanistan] important, it's robust, more robust than we would have anticipated," said President Bush at a press conference. "I look forward to thanking Chancellor Schröder for that".

The German government replied that "it is clear that there is interest to further develop and in the future strengthen the good and friendly relations that have developed over the last decades".