Barack Obama invites Angela Merkel to visit during call about trade, NATO

President Barack Obama invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Washington this year, the White House said on Wednesday in a brief statement about a phone conversation between the two leaders.

The visit would give Obama a chance to make amends after revelations that the US National Security Agency had been monitoring Merkel's cellphone. Obama is set to announce this month his decisions on how to rein in US surveillance. Obama wished Merkel "a speedy recovery" after she broke her pelvis while cross-country skiing, the White House said, and the two leaders discussed ongoing talks for a US-European Union trade deal, and an upcoming NATO summit.