Merkel under pressure after Rice debacle

BERLIN (Reuters) - New German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced her first big foreign policy challenge on Wednesday after a bridge-building meeting with the United States descended into a messy diplomatic spat.

A visit from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday exposed differences between the two sides over the sensitive case of a German man who was held for five months as a terrorist suspect by the United States in a prison in Afghanistan.

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The Financial Times Deutschland said: "Not only is there no apology, but even the word 'mistake' is too much for the United States when it comes to a concrete case."

The disagreement soured Merkel's first foray into trans-atlantic diplomacy since taking office on November 22.

Reuters.UK