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From http://www.unsv.com/voanews/specialenglish/
President Obama returned to the United States this week after his first visit to Europe since taking
office in January.
Earlier, Mister Obama traveled to Turkey for his first official visit to a
mostly Muslim country. He met with university students and with
Turkish President Abdullah Gul. He also spoke to the Turkish
President Obama meeting with Iraqi
parliament. He promised to rebuild relations between the United Prime Minister Nouri al -Maliki Tuesday
States and the Islamic world.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be,
at war with Islam."
Before visiting Iraq and Turkey, the president was in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. He
met with European Union leaders and spoke to a crowd of about twenty thousand people. He urged
other nations to join in an effort to free the world of nuclear weapons.
PRESIDENT OBAMA:"Today I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the
peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons."
PRESIDENT OBAMA : "As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States
has a moral responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can lead it, we
can start it."
The president spoke just hours after North Korea launched a long-range rocket. He said the North
Korean launch proves the need for nations to cooperate to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and
to remove those that already exist. He also described the nuclear goal of Iran as a serious
international threat.
Mister Obama's trip may also have increased his support at home.
New public opinion studies show sixty-six percent of Americans
approve of the job President Obama is doing. A CBS News and New
York Times study found thirty-nine percent say the country is
moving in the right direction, up from fifteen percent in January.
The president speaking during the
NATO meeting in Strasbourg, France And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna
Blake. Transcripts and archives of our reports are at www.unsv.com.
I'm Steve Ember.