Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has laid a wreath at Germany's national war memorial and urged remembrance of the suffering of both sides in World War II

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has laid a wreath at Germany's national war memorial and urged remembrance of the suffering of both sides in World War II. She made a state visit Tuesday that underlined the two countries' postwar reconciliation. German President Horst Koehler received the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, at a state dinner. The British and German leaders praised their nations' close relationship, and called on their people to look beyond old stereotypes. "In remembering the appalling suffering of war on both sides, we recognize how precious is the peace we have built in Europe since 1945," the queen said. "We owe it to those who built (the) partnership to continue the process into the 21st century: to learn from history and not be obsessed by it; to look beyond the simplistic stereotypes to realize how often we share the same outlook," she said. Koehler thanked the queen for her reconciliation efforts and "because you supported the freshly unified Germany."