Obama calls for nuclear arms cut

He was greeted like a rock star when he last visited Berlin, back when he was plain old Barack Obama.

Five years on, the President of the United States faced a slightly chillier reception.

Obama arrived fresh from the G8 summit in northern Ireland.

He made the key speech of his visit to around 4000 invited guests in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which once divided communist East Berlin and the capitalist West.

Obama's visit comes almost exactly 50 years after John F. Kennedy's famous speech.

And he seized on the Cold War theme.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING (English):

"After a comprehensive review I have determined that we can ensure the security of America and her allies, and maintain a strong and credible strategic deterrent, which reducing our deployed strategic nuclear weapons by up to one third. I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures"

Earlier in the day, Obama and Merk