Obama blasts anti-Americanism in Europe

STRASBOURG, France, April 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Friday called on Europe and the United States to change their attitude toward each other to better confront joint problems.

Addressing roughly 3,000 students at a town hall-style meeting in Strasbourg, France, Obama conceded that the trans-Atlantic alliance had been allowed to "drift" over the years.

Americans in the past often showed "arrogance" toward Europe, failing to appreciate its leadership on many issues, Obama said.

"But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that can be casual but can also be insidious," he said. "Let me say this as clearly as I can: America is changing. But it cannot be America alone that changes."

Attitudes of mutual distrust should be dropped to find new ways of working together, Obama added. Joint tasks such as the global economic crisis, the war in Afghanistan and climate change should be confronted with joint policies, the U.S. president said.

"We can meet any challenge as long as we're together," he said.