Days 75 and 76: Obama Attends NATO Summit, Responds To North Korean Missile
In case you missed it, here's a summary how President Obama spent his busy weekend in Germany, France and the Czech Republic.
Following the North Atlantic Council Summit meeting in Strasbourg, Mr. Obama praised NATO for cooperation over Afghanistan.
"These commitments of troops, trainers, and civilians represent a strong down payment on the future of our mission in Afghanistan and on the future of NATO," Mr. Obama said in a press conference . "These are the new missions that NATO must take on in the 21st century and these are the new capabilities that we need to succeed. NATO was founded upon mutual responsibility to our common security. Today I'm confident that we took a substantial step forward in renewing our alliance to meet the challenges of our time."
Later Saturday afternoon, Mr. Obama held a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis. Following the meeting he said: "not only is the United States inspired by Greece, not only were our founding fathers inspired by the values of ancient Greece, but that Greek independence was also inspired by the United States. It gives you a sense of the fact that we have shared values, a shared belief in democracy and liberty; that we have struggled and fought for that democracy and liberty as fellow members of NATO. Now in the 21st century, we continue to fight on behalf of those issues shoulder to shoulder."
Mr. Obama and the first lady then went to Prague in the Czech Republic.
| Map: Obama's Trip A day-by-day guide to one of the most closely watched presidential trips in recent memory. |
On Sunday, the president met with President Klaus and Prime Minister Topolanek of the Czech Republic, a meeting which the New York Times reported eased Czech concerns about their recent government collapse.
According to the White House, the meeting was the "first bilateral meeting with his Czech counterparts. They discussed cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the results of the NATO Summit, climate change, our shared commitment to success in Afghanistan, and our cooperation on missile defense."
Following the meeting President Obama denounced North Korea's missile launch during a speech to more than 20,000 people outside the Prague Castle Gates.
"This fatalism is a deadly adversary," he said. "For if we believe that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, then we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable."
After his speech, the president attended a working lunch of the EU Summit before meeting with European Council Officials. He also held separate meetings with the leaders of Spain and Poland.
Finally Sunday evening, Mr. Obama flew from Prague to Ankara, Turkey.
Watch, CBS News' Chip Reid report for the CBS Weekend News about the president's reaction to North Korea: