Berlin  - Helmut Kohl, 78, the former German chancellor, has married his female companion, Maike Richter, 44, his office said on Tuesday.

A brief statement said the couple "are very happy" after the wedding attended by close family members and friends in the western German city of Heidelberg.

The ceremony took place in a clinic where Kohl has been convalescing since a fall at his home in February.

Kohl, a widower, confirmed in April 2005 that he was living with Richter. Their relationship was made public four years after Kohl's first wife, Hannelore, committed suicide after a long illness.

The former chancellor, who has two grown-up sons, Walter and Peter. It is the first marriage for Richter, a senior economist at the Economics Ministry in Berlin.

Kohl, who was voted out of office in 1998, led Germany to unification in 1990 after delicate negotiations with the Soviet Union and oversaw the dismantling of the communist system in the East with most of the economy being returned to private hands. (dpa)