US President George W. Bush arrived this evening in Berlin, where thousands of anti-war demonstrators took to the streets, on the first leg of a European tour to rally support for his war on terrorism.
Mr Bush made no comment at the airport but US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Iraq, which he called "one of the foremost advocates" of obtaining weapons of mass destruction, would be on the agenda of talks with German leaders.
"It's important for us to stay in close consultation with the Germans as to what we might be required to do, both in a multilateral setting and within the UN to deal with this regime," said Mr Powell.
He said Iraq continued to show a "total lack of responsibility with respect to the opinion of the world and the danger that it presents to the world."
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder declared "unlimited solidarity" with the US after the September 11th terror attacks, but has since said that Germany would not support an attack on Iraq without a UN mandate.
European leaders are increasingly wary about being dragged into a war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who Mr Bush has vowed to topple.
The street protests were also dominated by concern over a possible strike on Iraq.
Following a mass rally of at least 17,000 people through the center of east Berlin Tuesday, some 20,000 protesters gathered ahead of Bush's arrival this evening.
Beating drums and carrying banners reading "War is Terror" and "Jobs Instead of Military Operations", an "Axis of Peace" alliance kept up demonstrations for a second day running with more planned until Mr Bush leaves tomorrow.
The "Axis of Peace," which has pledged to use only non-violent means of protest, is a reference to Bush's declaration of an "axis of evil" comprising Iraq, Iran and North Korea as potential targets of the US-led anti-terror war.
Berlin has deployed one of the biggest security forces in its history to protect Mr Bush during his 19-hour visit, with 10,000 officers on the streets in addition to an estimated 600 US security personnel accompanying the president.
Mr Schroeder issued a sharp warning to demonstrators to keep the protests peaceful and said Bush should be made to feel welcome in the city the Americans protected during the Cold War.
But Ms Claudia Roth, the co-leader of the Greens, junior partners in the ruling center-left coalition, said in a newspaper interview that Mr Bush should expect to hear a firm categorical rejection by the German government of any military action against Baghdad.
Mr Bush was to meet later today with Mr Schroeder and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit at a literary cafe in Berlin for coffee and dessert, near the Brandenburg Gate and the hotel where he will spend the night.