Obama cancels Poland trip because of volcanic ash

President Barack Obama gestures during a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy (not pictured) in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 30, 2010.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama scrapped his trip to Poland on Saturday for the state funeral of President Lech Kaczynski, citing a hazard to air travel from a huge volcanic ash cloud spreading over Europe.

"I spoke with acting President (Bronislaw) Komorowski and told him that I regret that I will not be able to make it to Poland due to the volcanic ash that is disrupting air travel over Europe," Obama said in a statement issued hours before he was due to fly from Washington.

"Michelle and I continue to have the Polish people in our thoughts and prayers and will support them in any way I can as they recover from this terrible tragedy. President Kaczynski was a patriot and close friend and ally of the United States, as were those who died alongside him, and the American people will never forget the lives they led."

Poland, part of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War, is now a member of NATO and a close U.S. ally.

Obama was to attend the funeral on Sunday for Kaczynski, who was killed with his wife Maria and 94 Polish political and military officials in a plane crash a week ago in Russia.

The volcanic ash cloud drifting across Europe from Iceland has closed Polish airports and it was unclear how many world leaders would manage to attend the funeral.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by John O'Callaghan)