title: Merkel says looking forward to meeting Trump in Washington: paper
text: BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a newspaper she was looking forward to meeting U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday. “It’s always better to talk with each other than about each other,” Merkel told regional newspaper Saarbruecker Zeitung. Asked if both sides were curious, Merkel said: “There’s definitely curiosity. And also pleasure at meeting each other. At least from my side.” Merkel was on her way to the airport on Monday to fly to Washington for her first meeting with Trump when he rang her to postpone the trip due to the approach of a winter storm. Merkel said she wanted to speak with Trump, who was elected in November, about security and economic issues as well as about future international cooperation. Regarding concerns about a trade war between the United States and Germany or Europe, Merkel said: “Our countries benefit when we work together well and fairly.” The United States has repeatedly criticized Germany’s large current account surplus, but Merkel said there was also a lot of direct German investment in the United States. Carmaker BMW’s U.S. plant exports “more cars than GM and Ford together” from the United States, Merkel said. “I’ll make that clear,” she added. 