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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Obama to address Muslims in Egypt | Obama to address Muslims in Egypt |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama will give a long-awaited speech on US relations with the Muslim world on a visit to Egypt, the White House has announced. | US President Barack Obama will give a long-awaited speech on US relations with the Muslim world on a visit to Egypt, the White House has announced. |
| He will travel to Egypt on 4 June and a day later arrive in Germany for a visit to Dresden and the site of the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald. | |
| During his election campaign, Mr Obama promised to make a major speech on ties with Muslims early in his presidency. | During his election campaign, Mr Obama promised to make a major speech on ties with Muslims early in his presidency. |
| Egypt arguably represented "the heart of the Arab world", a spokesman said. | Egypt arguably represented "the heart of the Arab world", a spokesman said. |
| In Turkey last month, the president declared that the US was not at war with Islam and he called for a greater partnership with the Muslim world. | |
| 'Extending the hand' | |
| White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if Egypt was an appropriate venue for the speech, given its poor record on human rights. | |
| "The scope of the speech, the desire for the president to speak, is bigger than where the speech was going to be given or who's the leadership of the country where the speech is going to be given," he replied. | |
| "This is a continuing effort of the president to engage the Muslim world," he added. | |
| "All of this gives the president the opportunity hopefully to extend the hand to those that in many ways are like us but simply have a different religion." | |
| The White House press secretary explained that Mr Obama's great-uncle had helped liberate Buchenwald. | |
| After the German leg of the visit, the president is due in Normandy for events commemorating the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6 June. |