BERLIN (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Israel in March and during the trip mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state, her spokesman said on Wednesday.
The chancellor will be accompanied by several cabinet ministers and the visit will see top-level consultations between the two governments, spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said.
"It will mark the first time that the Israeli and German governments hold consultations at this level in Israel, and it will serve as an occasion to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel," he told AFP.
Wilhelm said the government consultations will in future take place annually and will be held in Germany in 2009.
The state of Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, and Merkel's visit comes ahead of other celebrations scheduled to mark that May date.
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