Obama to make 1st Europe trip as president in March

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Barack Obama will make his first trip to Europe later this month as U.S. president, visiting Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.

"President and Mrs. Obama will visit the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Czech Republic between March 31st and April 5th," Clinton said at a news conference in Brussels, the seat of the European Union and NATO.

Obama will attend a G20 meeting in London on the global economic crisis and a NATO summit in Strasbourg and then travel to Prague for a special EU-U.S. summit, Clinton said.

"President Obama is committed, as I am, to strengthening the transatlantic alliance, to supporting a strong Europe that is a strong partner to the United States and to energize our partnerships to confront the common challenges of our time."

(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Editing by Louise Ireland)