R**ters - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Tuesday that Berlin hoped negotiations between the European Union and the United States on a transatlantic free trade zone could begin this summer.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pushed Tuesday for a free-trade agreement between the United States and Europe, saying it is a priority for President Barack Obama's second term that would help create jobs and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
[link to www.timesunion.com]