30 March 2009

Obama Heads to Europe with Extensive Schedule

President to attend G20, NATO, EU summits, and visit Turkey

President Obama, right, and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discuss the 2009 NATO Summit at the White House.

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — President Obama heads to Europe to address issues that range from the global economy and financial regulation to security, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan, nuclear nonproliferation and the Middle East.

Obama’s first visit to Europe as president will cover eight days, with visits to five nations. He travels to London for the G20 summit of advanced and emerging market economies April 1–2, then he travels to the 60th anniversary NATO Summit hosted by Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, April 3–4 and the European Union summit April 5 in Prague, Czech Republic, before wrapping up his travel in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, April 6.

Along the way, the president will hold bilateral meetings with presidents, prime ministers and a king, make major speeches, and participate in student-outreach events.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to The Hague, Netherlands, on March 31 to join foreign ministers from more than 80 other countries to discuss the future of Afghanistan. Her trip follows an announcement made March 27 by Obama on the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States hopes to engage Iran on Afghanistan at the U.N.-sponsored meeting, a White House official said March 28.

“Our hope is that they see it as an opportunity to constructively engage this issue,” said Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough.

G20 FOCUSES ON GLOBAL RECESSION

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama has two main objectives for the G20 summit: concerted action to jump-start economic growth, and regulatory reform to prevent current economic woes from happening again. “The president and America are going to listen in London as well as to lead,” he said March 28 in a White House conference call for journalists.

“The 20-plus countries that will be gathering represent more than 85 percent of the global economy,” said Michael Froman, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, in the conference call with Gibbs.

Obama will present a four-part program at the G20 leaders’ conference. The first step is putting in place a significant stimulus package to get growth going again, Froman said.

The president’s plan also involves repairing financial systems to get lending flowing; avoiding protectionism; and minimizing the spread of the crisis to emerging markets and developing countries, Froman said.

Froman said the United States is seeking to expand regulation to systemically important institutions, products and markets, which includes hedge funds; to create codes of conduct for offshore financial centers, also known as tax havens; to agree to reforms of the global financial system; and to push for greater cooperation among international regulators.

PRESIDENT TRAVELS TO LONDON

Obama’s first stop is London, where he will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, and attend a formal presentation to Queen Elizabeth II, McDonough said. Obama will hold separate meetings over the two days in London with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao, and also with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

On April 2, Obama will participate in the G20 meetings, McDonough said.

Obama travels to Strasbourg and Kehl on April 3 to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. That will be followed by the traditional NATO leaders’ working dinner. Obama will also deliver a major address on the United States’ trans-Atlantic alliance and take questions from European students.

On April 4, there will be a full day of North Atlantic Council meetings and also a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the NATO alliance.

“We’re working very hard to bring a new level of dialogue and a new level of discussion and consultation with all of our allies and friends around the world,” National Security Adviser James Jones said at a March 27 briefing. The United States is “interested in, obviously, leading, but [also] in partnering with countries around the world to confront common challenges. Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the region, certainly is one such challenge.”

Among other topics for NATO are a new strategic concept for the alliance that reflects 21st century challenges, membership, the NATO Russia Council and missile defense, McDonough said.

While in Prague for the April 5 European Union summit, Obama will deliver a speech on nuclear nonproliferation and meet with Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, recently resigned Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, and former Czech President Vaclav Havel. Topolanek continues to govern until a new Czech government can be appointed. He is also currently the president of the European Union.

Obama is also expected to meet with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Finally, Obama concludes his first trip to Europe with separate meetings April 6 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. He will meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, McDonough said. (See “Analysis: Obama Adds Turkey to Upcoming European Tour.”)

McDonough said Obama wanted to make clear on his first trip that Turkey is a vital ally, a vital member of NATO, and a vital bilateral partner with the United States on a range of issues, such as its leadership role in providing Israeli and Syrian talks.

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