Obama addresses Berlin

US presidential candidate Barack Obama has urged Europe to stand by the United States in bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Speaking at the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten park to an audience police estimated at over 200,000, the Democratic senator said America had no better partner than Europe but cautioned the allies against turning inward.

"No one welcomes war. I recognise the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan," Obama said in the only formal public speech he will give on a week-long tour of Europe and the Middle East meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

"But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone."

Broad in scope, the speech was aimed not only at European audiences but also US voters who face a choice in the November elections between the Democrat and Republican John McCain.

German media compared his visit to former President John F Kennedy's 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.

Unlike Kennedy, Obama did not break into German, but spoke at length of the historic ties between the United States and Germany, touching on the Berlin airlift 60 years ago and the fall of the Wall in 1989.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers," he said in the 28-minute speech. "No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone."

Obama said Europe and the United States needed to stand together to send Iran a message that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions and urged both sides to move beyond their differences over the Iraq war to help suffering Iraqis rebuild their lives.

"Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future," he said. "The greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another."

His comments were cheered by a huge crowd, some wearing Obama badges, "Yes We Can" t-shirts echoing his slogan and carrying American flags.

A reggae band played in the background and people sipped beer under sunny skies in a summertime party atmosphere.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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