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Washington - German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to the United States for decades of support that carried Germany out of World War II and ended the division of the country. During a rare joint session before Congress to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Merkel said the historic event "would not have been possible" without the United States.

Merkel became the first German leader to address a joint session of Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957. Congress seldom grants a foreign leader permission to address both the House and Senate.

Merkel's speech came after a meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama earlier Tuesday - her first since she was re- elected in September.