Berlin gets ready to welcome US presidential hopeful Barack Obama - je 24.07.2008 08 UTC

Berlin is gearing up for the arrival of U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama - the German capital is the first stop on the European leg of his world tour. The Senator is set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and this evening, he'll deliver a speech on transatlantic relations in front of Berlin's historic Victory Column. Obama was in the Middle East Thursday, where he met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He's been visiting crisis regions and world capitals in a bid to beef up his foreign policy credentials.