Technology strengthens Bush-Merkel ties
Posted: Monday, March 31, 2008 6:47 PM
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On Assignment
By John Yang, NBC News' White House Correspondent
KIEV, Ukraine -- Technology has brought the world closer together with cell phones, e-mails and instant messaging. And now it's done it for world leaders.
For the past year or so, President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have sat down on opposite sides of the Atlantic for regular biweekly secure videoconferences to discuss issues of common concern.
Before, fact-to-face contact between world leaders was limited to economic summits or other high-profile meetings.
"Now these two leaders can talk for 45 minutes every couple weeks," says White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley. "They know each other very well. They know each other's views well."
The regular contact, Hadley says, has strengthened the ties between the two leaders and the two countries.
"They have a very constructive relationship," he says. "And it's great because you can put difficult issues on the table, you can have your exchange of views, try to find common ground."
