Obama leaves for his Europe tour

The United States President is seeking support for his plan to help establish democracies after revolts in Tunisia and Egypt and may face pressure from Europe for a more robust US role in Libya as the Atlantic alliance is updated in an era of new challenges.Obama will begin his tour in Ireland from Monday, with talks with Irish President Mary McAleese and Prime Minister Enda Kenny.He will also have a trip to Moneygall, the village home of his ancestors from his mothers side.On Tuesday, Obama will fly to London, spend two nights in Buckingham Palace and have talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron. The status of the NATO operation against Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi will be a dominant issue, with both sides keen to show that the conflict, in which Washington is supporting a European lead, is not verging on stalemate.In Westminster Hall, Obama will address both houses of the British parliament, in a speech distilling his thoughts on the special relationship with Britain and his aspirations for US-Europe cooperation.On Thursday, Obama will leave London for Deauville, France and the G8 summit, which may see the leaders discuss the vacant post of head of the International Monetary Fund, after Dominique Strauss-Kahns arrest.He will also meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.On Friday, Obama will journey on to Poland to discuss plans for a US missile shield in Europe, which the Poles will partly host.Despite suggestions, Obama preferred Asia to Europe. His advisors said that he had repeatedly trekked across the Atlantic and was firmly committed to the worlds most successful continental alliance.This is a very important trip for the president to reaffirm our core alliances in the world with our European allies, said Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security adviser.