U.S. President George W. Bush will pay a brief visit to the home state of German Chancellor Angela Merkel next month during a stopover on his trip to attend a Group of Eight (G-8) summit, the German government said Wednesday.

Ulrich Wilhelm, a spokesman for the German government, told reporters that Bush will arrive in Germany on July 12 and will travel to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

In their meeting, Bush and Merkel will focus on the G-8 summit to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from July 15 to 17, Wilhelm said.

They will also talk about Iran's nuclear crisis, Afghanistan and the trade issues, he added.

Both Bush and Merkel have vowed to improve bilateral relations which had been soured, particularly by the Iraq war, when Gerhard Schroeder was the chancellor.

However, Merkel's government has continued to insist on Schroeder's policy that no German soldiers will be sent to Iraq.

Source: Xinhua