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Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit (front L) welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama (front R) at the airport in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama arrived Thursday morning in Cairo, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and deliver a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo University.(Xinhua Photo)
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CAIRO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama
arrived Thursday morning in Cairo, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian
counterpart Hosni Mubarak and deliver a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim
world in Cairo University.
Obama stepped out of the Air Force One and down the
ramp quickly, waving hands to the crowds welcoming him.
He was received by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, instead of Mubarak as media earlier reported, before getting into the car heading for the al-Qobbah palace where he will meet with Mubarak.
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U.S. President Barack Obama steps off Air Force One upon his arrival at the airport in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama arrived Thursday morning in Cairo, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and deliver a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo University.(Xinhua Photo)
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The U.S. president will give his long-awaited key
speech to the Muslim world at about 1:10 p.m. (1010 GMT), according to a
schedule obtained by Xinhua. The speech had been promised by Obama after he
assumed office in January, a move viewed as his reach out to the Muslims to mend
the U.S.-Muslim ties tarnished by his predecessor's administration.
Earlier in April, Obama said during his visit to
Turkey that his country "is not and will never be at war with Islam," which is
lauded by Cairo as the "first and significant" step for easing the tensions
between the United States and the Muslim world.
Cairo is the second leg of Obama's Middle East tour.
On Wednesday, he held talks in Riyadh with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, an oil
power and U.S. regional ally which proposed the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002.
Describing Abdullah as "wise and gracious," Obama
said "it is very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek
his majesty's counsel."
For his part, Abdullah said Obama "deserves this
position."
Shortly after Obama's arrival in Riyadh, al-Qaida
chief Osama bin Laden said in a tape broadcasted by pan-Arab TV channel
al-Jazeera that the U.S. president will follow the steps of his predecessor
George W. Bush.
"He (Obama) has chosen to follow the steps of his
predecessor in hostility against Muslims," bin Laden said in the tape, which was
apparently aimed at Obama's outreach to the Islamic world.
Bin Laden said that Obama and Bush planted the seeds
of hatred and revenge toward Americans.
He also threatened to revenge Americans for the
consequences of their administration's policies.
Obama's Cairo visit is part of a Mideast-Europe tour
which will also take him to Germany and France.
Backgrounder: Obama's words on Muslim
since taking office
U.S. expatriates in Egypt expect Obama
to defuse tensions with
Muslims
CAIRO, June 3
(Xinhua) -- Millions of Muslims around the world are skeptical that U.S.
President Barack Obama's highly anticipated speech Thursday from Cairo will do
much to change U.S. foreign policy, but to Americans living in Egypt, the speech
holds the potential of hope and change.
"For me, Obama embodies a lot of the ideals I hold. I
still have that idealism that pops in every now and then and I realize that it
won't be in this term or maybe even this administration that so much progress
will happen, but I do believe that the tide is turning in a new direction," said
Jessica Desvarieux, a freelance journalist who has been living in Cairo for a
year. Full story
Clinton arrives in
Cairo
CAIRO, June 3 (Xinhua)
-- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Cairo Wednesday evening,
on the eve of the much-anticipated keynote speech of U.S. President Barack Obama
on Thursday, Cairo airport officials said.
Obama's Cairo speech is expected to give another push
to the image of the United States, which has improved relatively in the whole
world compared with that during the administration of former U.S. President
George W. Bush. Full story
Bin Laden accuses Obama of following Bush's
steps
CAIRO, June 3 (Xinhua) --
Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden said in a latest tape broadcasted on Wednesday by
pan-Arab TV channel al-Jazeera that U.S. President Barack Obama will follow the
steps of his predecessor George W. Bush.
"He (Obama) has chosen to follow the steps of his
predecessor in hostility against Muslims," bin Laden said in the tape, which was
broadcast shortly following Obama's arrival in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for a
visit to Saudi Arabia. Full story
Saudi king, Obama to hold summit
shortly
RIYADH, June 3
(Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a summit with Saudi king
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday,
the Al-Arabiya TV channel reported.
Obama arrived in Saudi capital Riyadh at 2:25 p.m.
(1125 GMT). King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and top Saudi officials met him at the
King Khaled International Airport.Full story
Cairo University waits for Obama
CAIRO, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Beside the landmark
Conference Hall of Cairo University, where Obama is scheduled to deliver his
speech to the Muslim world on June 4, sat three students who were cramming for
their coming exams and talking about Obama's visit to Egypt.
"I want to invite Barack Obama for a fish meal at my home
near Kanater(in north Cairo)," said Ahmed Darwish, an 18-year-old student at the
faculty of law. Full story
Egyptians expect real change towards Muslims from
Obama
CAIRO, June 1 (Xinhua) --
In Dar Es-Salaam, one of the most populous districts in Cairo, Ahmed sat with
his friends in a smallcafe talking about the upcoming visit of U.S. President
Barack Obama.
"Cairo is really lucky to welcome Obama as I think he is
capable of changing the tarnished image of his predecessor," said Ahmed, 27, who
works as a teacher in a primary school. Full story
