German Chancellor and Polish PM meet on the Oder

Chancellor Kohl of Germany and the Polish Prime Minister, Jerzy Buzek, have met for the first time since a centre-right government came to power in Warsawlast month.

The two men opened a widened border bridge between Frankfurt-an-Oder in Germany and Slubice in Poland.

During the ceremony, Chancellor Kohl said that Germany wanted Poland to become a member of the European Union as soon as possible.

For his part, Mr Buzek said they were opening not just a bridge but gates of western stability and prosperity eastward.

The BBC correspondent in Berlin says Polish-German ties are strong in the border region, but there are also tensions, with right-wing violence against Poles on the rise.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service