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Notice Text fragments in light blue are to provide synonyms and explanations that serve to clarify the news Hello and welcome to NewsInSlowEnglish.com, a podcast for English learners from all around the world. We specialize in bringing you the news in slow, clear English and in providing materials to support you in your learning. We hope that you find these materials useful. Let’s get started! Lucas: Hi everybody! Good to be here and thank you for listening to our podcast. I'm here with Olga. Olga: Hi everyone! Hi Lucas! Lucas: In our third episode, we're going to present international news, the differences between Past Simple and Present Perfect tenses, and we're going to explain a few common idioms. Olga: Sounds great! And don't forget to check transcripts and other learning tools on our website Newsinslowenglish.com. Let's get to it. Lucas: Let's go! NATO leaders meet in France NATO leaders met in Strasbourg, France to mark the 60th anniversary of the alliance. The occasion also marked France's full return to NATO, 43 years after President Charles de Gaulle withdrew his country in protest of U.S. domination. However, France participated fully in NATO missions in Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. French president Nicolas Sarkozy said it is now time for France to take its full place in NATO command structures. Today, it is the fourth-largest contributor of troops. - In October 1966, de Gaulle announced that France had nuclear capabilities and would defend itself. - Yes, listen to what I found: "We will accept no subordinating of our forces by a foreign authority," de Gaulle said. "In one month, no military base or allied army will remain on our territory." He also kicked NATO headquarters out of Paris. - And now, how interesting to see Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Nikolas Sarkozy, and other NATO leaders walking across a bridge separating Germany and France in a moment of symbolic unity last Saturday. For sure, the world is changing rapidly... Obama's first Muslim country visit as president President Obama's visit to Turkey this week was a balancing act between the United States, Europe and the Islamic world. It was Obama's first visit as president to a Muslim country. However, the population in Turkey is mostly secular. References to Turkey as a center of the Muslim world would have displeased many. In his speech in Turkey's Parliament on Monday, Mr. Obama spoke to both camps, discussing his personal connections to Islam and ties to Turkey's "strong and secular" democracy. Obama said that many Americans have family ties to Muslims, "including myself" he added. Obama's middle name is Hussein and his father was a Muslim from Kenya. The President's visit was devoted to mending relations with Turkey that were damaged after the Turkish Government opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The Bush administration was also critical of Turkey's relations with Iran and Syria. In a speech to Turkey's Parliament, Obama stressed Turkey's importance to the U.S. as a military and diplomatic power. He made a point of saying that the U.S. "is not and never will be at war with Islam." One of the sensitive issues during this visit was the question of whether the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1916 constituted genocide. Armenian-Americans have long called on Congress to pass a resolution asking Turkey to acknowledge that killings were genocidal, and as a senator, Obama said he supported that. At a news conference in Ankara, Obama said that his views have not changed. However, he did not say the word "genocide" during the speech. - Not only Obama supported a resolution labeling the killings of Armenians as genocide, vice-president Biden supported the resolution too. - Well, it does make sense for the two sides to work out the issue. And, I know they are working on it. I also know that Turkey and Armenia are working on opening borders and reestablishing relations between the two countries. It's a very big deal for both countries. - Yes, but what about Turkey being secular? Since when? - Since the birth of "modern Turkey" in the 1920s. General Mustafa Kemal Ataturk angered the Islamic world by changing the alphabet to Latin letters and by taking power away from the religious hierarchy. As a result, Turkey prefers to think of itself as a European country with few links to the Muslim world. Obama ends his trip to Turkey calling for the creation of a Palestinian state President Obama ended his trip to Turkey on Tuesday by calling for the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel. During his first trip as president to the Muslim world, Obama sought to rebuild ties damaged by the invasion of Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and lack of leadership by the U.S. in the Middle East conflict resolution. "I came to Turkey because I am deeply committed to rebuilding a relationship between the United States and the people of the Muslim world, one that is grounded in mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said. "I believe we can have a dialogue that is open, honest, vibrant...And I want you to know that I am personally committed to a new chapter of American engagement," he said. Obama's visit, in which he said America "will never be at war with Islam," marks a strong shift in U.S. policy after his predecessor Bush upset Muslims with his backing of Israel, invasion of Iraq and branding of Iran as part of an "axis of evil." Obama pleased Muslims with his call to push aggressively for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, in a challenge to the new Israeli government of the right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu. "I believe that peace in the Middle East is possible. I think it will be based on two states side by side, a Palestinian state and a Jewish state," Obama said. "I think in order to achieve that, both sides are going to have to make compromises. I think we have a sense of what those compromises should be and will be. Now what we need is political will and courage on the part of leadership." - You know what is interesting about Obama's level of competence and preparedness? Respecting Muslim sensitivity; he said he would like to wrap up the youth meeting before the call to prayer. - Ha-ha-ha! It's a change from the previous administration going to war and still being confused by Shia and Sunni differences. - Well, not everyone was confused, right? There were lots of experts advising on this subject. - Yeah, it's one thing to advise, and another to listen!