Obama's address at Cairo will outline his personal commitments

"Obama's speech will be an important part of his engagement with the Muslim world, which began in his inaugural and has continued through venues such as his interview with Al Arabiya, his Nowruz message, and his speech and town hall in Turkey," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday.

Giving a brief preview of the anxiously awaited speech, Gibbs said President Obama would discuss how the US and Muslim communities around the world can bridge some of the differences that have divided them.

"He will review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He will discuss new areas for partnership going forward that serve the mutual interests of our people," Gibbs told reporter during a teleconference organized by White House on Obama's upcoming trip to the Middle East and Europe next week.

During the week-long trip the US President would be visiting Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany and France.

The first two stops, White House officials said, was part of Obama's effort to outreach the Muslim world. He would first visit Riyadh where, the President would meet King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
"That obviously is part of our outreach to the Muslim world, but also an opportunity while he is in this vitally important region to discuss a range of important concerns from energy to Middle East peace to the fight against extremism," Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough said.

Observing that Egypt was a long-time strategic ally of the US, McDonough said it is a key country in the Arab and Muslim world.

"Like much of the Muslim world, itself is a young country with a burgeoning younger population that the President looked very much forward to engaging directly in this speech and in the meetings while he is there," he said.

Obama would be addressing the Muslim world from the University of Cairo, which is being co-hosted by Al-Azhar University. He will also be visiting to a mosque.

From Egypt, the US President would travel to Germany where he would visit a concentration camp, Buchenwald. He would conclude his trip with his visit to France where he would commemorate the anniversary of the landing at Normandy with veterans from the US, as well as from other key allied countries.