Obama in Middle East for bridge building speech

The US President has been given a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia by King Abdullah.

For Barack Obama, the visit to one of the strongest US allies in the Middle East marks the start of a tour to the region, designed to patch up America’s reputation in the Islamic world, tarnished over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There has also been consternation about US treatment of terrorism suspects.

Before leaving, Obama cautioned against expecting too much from his Cairo address on Thursday, saying one speech is not going to transform some “very difficult issues” surrounding the Middle East.

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tags: Barack Obama, Mideast, Saudi Arabia