German Chancellor Angela Merkel is headed to Washington to meet with President Bush Wednesday.
The two leaders are expected to focus on the international response to Iran's controversial nuclear program. Germany has held months of negotiations with Tehran, alongside Britain and France.
This is Ms. Merkel's second trip to the United States since she took office last November.
Ms. Merkel will travel to New York for several hours on Thursday for economic meetings, and will return to Washington later that day to speak at the American Jewish Committee, which works to safeguard Jews and Jewish life worldwide.
Some officials in Washington and Berlin view the visits as a chance for the two allies to re-build ties that were strong during the Cold War, but frayed over differences between President Bush and former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder over the Iraq war.