U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012.  REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov  (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Germany plays down need for e.Europe aid package

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BRUSSELS | Sun Mar 1, 2009 8:56am EST

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany played down on Sunday the need for a special aid package for the whole of eastern Europe saying the economic situation of countries in the region differed after calls from Hungary for 180 billion euro aid plan.

"I see a very different situation (among eastern countries)," Merkel said on arrival at a special EU summit. "I do not advise going into the debate with massive figures," she said.

She also said she would propose to boost the amount of money the European Investment bank, the EU's lending arm, has available for the car sector for new car technologies.

She also said European Union countries should commit to returning to solid public finances once the economic downturn ended.

(Reporting by Mark John, writing by Jan Strupczewski)

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