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Obama looks to Europe as partner | Obama looks to Europe as partner |
(10 minutes later) | |
White House hopeful Barack Obama has told Berliners the US and Europe have drifted apart and it is time for them to come together again. | White House hopeful Barack Obama has told Berliners the US and Europe have drifted apart and it is time for them to come together again. |
"If we're honest... we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny," he said. | "If we're honest... we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny," he said. |
Thousands of people turned out to hear him make the only public speech of his current world tour. | Thousands of people turned out to hear him make the only public speech of his current world tour. |
His words were broadcast live in Germany, where he is a popular figure. | His words were broadcast live in Germany, where he is a popular figure. |
He began the speech by paying tribute to the Berliners who held out against Soviet pressure during the blockade after World War II. | |
Appealing for a renewed partnership with Europe, he identified terrorism, nuclear proliferation, drugs and climate change as global challenges. | |
The BBC's Steve Rosenberg reports from Berlin that the Illinois senator, 46, is very popular in Germany, where surveys suggest three-quarters of people want him to be the next US president. | |
Mr Obama will be hoping that once TV pictures of him addressing cheering crowds of Berliners have been beamed back to America it will boost his image as an international statesman, and his chances of beating Republican rival John McCain this autumn, our correspondent adds. | |
'Intertwined world' | |
"While the 20th Century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history," Mr Obama said. | |
The burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together Barack Obama | |
"In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common," he continued. | "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common," he continued. |
"In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future." | "In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future." |
"But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together," he added. | "But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together," he added. |
He said that partnership and co-operation among nations was "not a choice". | |
"It is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity," he argued. | |
The time had come, the Democratic contender said, to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it". | |
It was the moment, he said, to end the conflict in Iraq, to "renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons" and to "come together to save this planet". | |
World tour | World tour |
Mr Obama kicked off the European leg of the Democrat's world tour ahead of November's US presidential election. | Mr Obama kicked off the European leg of the Democrat's world tour ahead of November's US presidential election. |
Advertisement | Advertisement |
German Country and Western fans explain why they support Obama | German Country and Western fans explain why they support Obama |
Earlier, he met German leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel. | Earlier, he met German leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel. |
Mr Obama flew to Germany after visiting Israel and the West Bank and is due to visit France on Friday, then Britain on Saturday. | Mr Obama flew to Germany after visiting Israel and the West Bank and is due to visit France on Friday, then Britain on Saturday. |
Security is tight in Berlin, with one report that the hotel where Mr Obama is staying in Berlin was closed off after a suspicious package was found. | Security is tight in Berlin, with one report that the hotel where Mr Obama is staying in Berlin was closed off after a suspicious package was found. |