The President: My fellow Americans, this weekend,
I begin my first trip overseas as President.
A trip with historic significance
for the American people.
I will be visiting with the leaders in many
different countries to strengthen our old
friendships, build new partnerships, and unite
the civilized world in a fight against terrorism.
In that spirit of unity, I will travel to lands
associated with three of the world's great religions.
My first stop will be Saudi Arabia, the heart
of the Muslim world.
There, I will address a historic gathering
of the leaders of more than 50 Muslim nations.
I will represent the views of the American people,
frankly and clearly.
Many of these leaders have expressed growing concern
about terrorism, the spread of radicalization,
and Iran's role in funding both.
Now, it appears Muslim leaders are ready to take
more responsibility and a much bigger role
in fighting terrorism in their region.
It's about time we do it; we'll do it together,
but it has to be done.
America cannot solve all of the world's problems,
but we can and we must help any nation willing
to join in the common cause of eradicating terrorism
from the face of the earth.
Next, I'll travel to the ancient city of Jerusalem
to talk with my good friend, Prime Minister
Netanyahu, about bringing peace and prosperity
to both our nations.
Israel is an important American ally, but in
recent years, we haven't always treated them that way.
It's time to renew our friendship.
While I'm there, I'll also meet with President Abbas
of the Palestinian authority in Bethlehem
to discuss ways to advance peace between Israel
and the Palestinians.
From there, I'll head to the Vatican where I will
have the great honor of an audience with Pope Francis.
I look forward to speaking with the Pope about
how Christian teachings can help put the world
on a path to justice, freedom, and peace.
I will also meet with friends and allies in
Europe at a gathering of NATO in Brussels
and at the G7 summit in Italy.
Finally, I will close my trip by saying thank you
to some of the courageous men and women
of the United States military, serving their nation overseas.
In my inaugural address, I pledged to strengthen
America's oldest friendships, to seek
new partners in pursuit of peace, and above all,
to always put American people first.
I also pledged that our partners must show
that they're partners.
They must show that they're friends,
and they must contribute financially
to the tremendous costs -- the money that we're spending
is so big.
It's so much, and it's not fair for our nation.
They have to help, and I'm sure they will.
The fact is, I' very excited about new
possibilities for peace and prosperity,
and I hope you are too.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.