Kunduz, Germany  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Monday on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, her second to the country, to visit German soldiers.

Merkel, accompanied by Defence Minister Franz-Josef Jung, landed at a military base in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, where 700 German troops are stationed.

A number of attacks occurred near the base shortly before Merkel's visit. Shots were fired at German soldiers overnight as they were guarding a bridge construction project 7 kilometres from the camp. None was hurt.

Baden-Baden, Germany  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected NATO to choose a new secretary general as early as Friday evening.

"We want to establish the succession this evening," Merkel told journalists in Baden-Baden ahead of a meeting in the German city with US President Barack Obama.

Like most other NATO leaders, Merkel supports Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as NATO chief. The Dutchman has said he will leave his post at the end of July.

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Israel she hopes the peace process with the Palestinians will lead to a two-state solution, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Spokesman Thomas Steg said Merkel conveyed this message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone conversation earlier in the day.

He said Berlin, along with the United States and the European Union, wanted to see a resumption of peace negotiations envisaged under the Annapolis declaration.

Berlin  - In a congratulatory message to incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed him Wednesday to advance the peace process with the Palestinians and usher in a two-state solution to the conflict.

"I hope you will manage to achieve decisive progress towards a two-state solution," she said, referring to German support for establishing a sovereign Palestinian state which would agree to exist in peace with its neighbour Israel.

Berlin  - Speaking in Berlin before the G20 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned anew against any reversion to protectionism as nations struggle to avoid the economic crisis.

"It would be the worst answer to this situation," she said, adding that she was bound for London "with a mixture of optimism and concern." She said the world faced the moment of decision.

Berlin - The world is experiencing a "dramatic moment," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said before meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday ahead of the Group of 20 summit in London.

The Russian leader said the gathering in the British capital had to concentrate on decisions pertaining to "how we can lead our economies out of the precarious situation they find themselves in."

Merkel and Medvedev met with German business leaders before beginning their talks at the federal chancellery in Berlin.