German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere has presented the former commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), US General David Petraeus with the Federal Cross of Merit.

Speaking during a ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, de Maiziere described General Petraeus as an "outstanding strategist and a true friend of the German people."

The 59-year-old Petraeus was the commander of ISAF, including a contingent of approximately 4,800 Bundeswehr soldiers from June 2010 to July 2011. He was appointed head of the US Central Intelligence Agency late last summer.

Washingtonwas the second stop on de Maiziere's North America trip, which will also see him visit German air force training facilities at the US bases in El Paso, Texas and Holloman, New Mexico.

The highlight of his trip is to come on Thursday, when he meets with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. He is to wrap up his visit with two speeches on Friday - at the Center for a New American Security in Washington and Harvard University in Boston.

Short visit to Canadian capital

De Maiziere arrived in Washington from Ottawa, where he met with his Canadian counterpart, Peter MacKay. The two ministers agreed to extend the close military cooperation between their two countries.

The Canadian Defense Minister thanked de Maiziere for Germany's support in Afghanistan, particularly the delivery of 20 Leopard 2 tanks, which, MacKay said, had helped save Canadian lives.

MacKay also used a joint press conference with de Maiziere to announce plans for the Canadian forces to set up a new operational support hub at Cologne-Bonn airport. Until now, Canadian forces have been using a small logistical hub at the American airbase near the German town of Spangdahlem. This experience, McKay said, had "driven home the value of maintaining operational support hubs abroad in anticipation of future mission requirements."

For years, the Canadian soldiers fought alongside the Americans in the restive southern Afghan province of Kandahar, but in 2011 Ottawa wound down its combat mission in the country. Since then, Canada has about 950 personnel in Afghanistan as part of a training mission for Afghan security forces. Since deploying to Afghanistan in 2002, 158 Canadian soldiers have been killed. Germany has lost 52 Bundeswehr troops.

pfd/slk   (Reuters, dpa, AFP)