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PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. [Applause] Good afternoon. Bon après-midi. [Applause] And guten tag. It is a great honor for me to be here in Europe, to be here in Strasbourg.
You know, oftentimes during these foreign trips you see everything from behind a window, and what we thought was important was for me to have an opportunity to not only speak with you but also to hear from you, because that’s ultimately how we can learn about each other.
Strasbourg has been known throughout history as a city at the crossroads. Over thousands of years, you straddled many kingdoms and many cultures. Two rivers are joined here. Two religions have flourished in your churches. Three languages comprise an ancient oath that bears the city’s name. You served as a center of industry and commerce, a seat of government and education, where Goethe studied and Pasteur taught and Gutenberg imagined his printing press.
So it’s fitting because we find ourselves at a crossroads as well — all of us — for we’ve arrived at a moment where each nation and every citizen must choose at last how we respond to a world that has grown smaller and more connected than at any time in its existence.
We’ve known for a long time that the revolutions in communications and technology that took place in the 20th century would hold out enormous promise for the 21st century — the promise of broader prosperity and mobility; of new breakthroughs and discoveries that could help us lead richer and fuller lives. But the same forces that have brought us closer together have also given rise to new dangers that threaten to tear our world apart — dangers that cannot be contained by the nearest border or the furthest ocean.
Even with the Cold War now over, the spread of nuclear weapons or the theft of nuclear material could lead to the extermination of any city on the planet. And this weekend in Prague, I will lay out an agenda to seek the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. [Applause]
We also know that the pollution from cars in Boston or from factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, and that that will disrupt weather patterns everywhere. The terrorists who struck in London, in New York, plotted in distant caves and simple apartments much closer to your home. And the reckless speculation of bankers that has new fueled a global economic downturn that’s inflicting pain on workers and families is happening everywhere all across the globe.
(CBS News) – President Obama delivered a speech before a few thousand in a sports arena in Strasbourg, France, on Friday — but his real audience was clearly the entire world.
The event was billed as a town hall with French and German youth, but Mr. Obama began with a half hour address designed to improve America’s image around the world.
Mr. Obama directly addressed the strain between America and Europe over the past several years, saying the relationship has drifted. He then sought to say that the reasons for that drift come from both sides of the Atlantic.
“In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world… there have been times where America’s shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.”
“But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual, but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans chose to blame America.
“I’ve come to Europe this week to renew our partnership.”
In a nod to those who are blaming the U.S. for the global economic downturn, he admitted that the U.S. shares blame. But he added: “Every nation bears responsibility for what lies ahead.”
Another one of the main headlines from the speech was his call for a world without nuclear weapons. He said his recently announced agreement with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to reduce both countries stockpiles was a first step in that process.
“Even with the Cold War now over, the spread of nuclear weapons or the theft of nuclear material could lead to the extermination of any city on the planet,” Mr. Obama said.
Cecilia Dervogne, a student at the University of Strasbourg, was among a noisy crowd of well-wishers greeting the Obamas as they arrived today. As they approached the crowd to shake hands, Ms Dervogne called out to him.
‘I said in slightly hesitating English… ‘A kiss for me?” Ms Dervogne told i-tele television.
‘He showed me his bodyguards, who were surveying everything. I think there was a security gap we were supposed to keep to,’ she said.
‘And there was Mr Sarkozy who re-insisted and said: ‘What, you’re not going to give her a kiss?’
‘So he offered his cheek timidly and I gave him a kiss.’
Cecilia Dervogne: she kissed Obama and she liked it. (Foto Reuters)
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
