Merkel says better for Britain to wield power from within EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a news conference following talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, June 2, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said they wanted Britain to stay in the European Union on Thursday, three weeks before Britons vote on the country's future in the 28-member bloc.

Merkel said if Britain chose to leave it would not be able to reap benefits from a free trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and the United States, and it would also miss out on the advantages of the EU single market.