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July 24, 2008

Obama:  Europe Trip Aimed at Restoring Trans-Atlantic Unity 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1D619BF:A6F02AD83191E1607E9189573BA1E26421A4E82C900CD027&
 
Up to 100,000 people expected to gather at Berlin's 'Victory Column' for
only formal speech during US Democratic presidential hopeful's week-long
international tour 
U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is in Germany on a visit he
says is aimed at restoring unity across the Atlantic.Democratic
presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. (L) greets German
Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, 24 Jul 2008He met with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose spokesman called the talks "very
open".Later
Thursday, up to 100,000 people are expected to gather at Berlin's
"Victory Column" for the only formal speech during Obama's week-long
international tour.The first-term U.S. senator says, if elected
president, he would pursue international cooperation, in a place that
the Bush administration once dismissed as "Old Europe."The
Democratic candidate's tour and its news coverage have come under
intense criticism from the campaign of his Republican rival, John
McCain. His campaign Web site accuses the media of a "bizarre
fascination" with Obama. German television will be carrying the Obama
speech live.The
visit comes at the start of a European tour that will also take him to
France and Britain. Obama earlier visited Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan,
Israel and the Palestinian territories.He meets later Thursday
with other German officials, Obama is also expected to address the
issue of NATO troop needs in Afghanistan. 


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