The Democratic Party US senator, who has called for revitalised ties between Washington and Europe, will hold talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Downing Street on Saturday.

He will also meet Tory leader David Cameron and ex-PM Tony Blair before returning to America, where he faces Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.

Thousands lined the streets of Berlin on Thursday to hear Mr Obama, a highly-popular figure in Germany, make the keynote speech of the European-leg of his whistlestop tour.

He said: "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common.

"In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future.

"But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together."

Mr Obama went on: "If we're honest... we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny."

He will spent most of today in France before flying to London to finish the tour, which has also taken in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Senator McCain visited Number 10 for talks in March, while his rival was still battling Hillary Clinton for his party's nomination.



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