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Obama to reach out to Muslims in Egypt speech
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-10 09:12

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a major policy speech in Egypt in 2005 at a time when US popularity was seriously dented by the Iraq war.

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Rice's speech was part of the Bush administration's "democracy agenda." She urged reforms across the region, specifically targeting her host, which drew anger from Cairo.

However, the new US administration has dropped the previous government's focus on building democracy and Obama's speech will likely be more conciliatory.

Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, Obama chose an Arab station, Al Arabiya, to give his first formal TV interview, widely interpreted as a signal that he wanted to improve relations with the Arab and Muslim world.

He also called for peace and dialogue with Islam in a speech to Turkey's parliament on his first presidential visit to the Muslim world in April.

During the same trip, Obama will also go to the German city of Dresden and the Buchenwald concentration camp complex, which was set up by the Nazis during World War Two, Gibbs said.

On June 6, Obama would travel to Normandy in France to attend events marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings by Allied forces that led to the end of the war.

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