Welcomed with thunderous cheers, President Barack Obama told a European audience yesterday that he is setting a dramatic goal of "a world without nuclear weapons."

The new American president opened a town-hall style gathering with the declaration. saying he would outline details in Prague in the comingdays.

"Even with the Cold War now over, the spread of nuclear weapons or the theft of nuclear material could lead to the extermination of any city on the planet," Obama said, previewing a planned speech.

Obama took his new strategy' for the war in Afghanistan yesterday to Nato leaders reluctant to commit significant new forces.

The 28-nation alliance is more eager to repair relations with a resurgent Russia, whose president cautioned Nato against further eastward expansion in a warning ahead of the alliance's 60th anniversarysummit. Obama who arrived in Strasbourg from London on Friday morning w’as scheduled to meet with Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Mcrkel before the formal start of the summit at a dinner at the German resort spa of Baden-Baden.

Nato's ability to succeed in a now-deadlocked war in Afghanistan will be seen as a crucial test of the alliance's power and relevance. Although European governments have already made clear they are unwilling to deploy significant new ground forces, they have been more enthusiastic about increasing humanitarian and development assistance to the beleaguered government in Kabul.

He w’as in the midst of his first European trip as president as he sought to strengthen the United States' standing in the world while working with foreign counterparts to right the troubled global economy.

Obama said the United States shares blame for the crisis, but that "every nation bares responsibility for what lies ahead especially now."