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Obama back in Washington after international swing

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama returned to Washington in the early hours of Wednesday after an eight-day European tour and a surprise visit to Iraq.He stepped off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, outside the US capital, shortly after it touched down at around 1:29 am (0629 GMT). Wearing a long coat, he crossed the tarmac to a waiting helicopter.Obama's first major trip abroad as president -- he earlier made a day trip to Ottawa -- saw him attend a Group of 20 summit on the global economic crisis in London and the 60th anniversary NATO summit in France and Germany. He also went to the Czech Republic for an EU-US summit and major speech on nuclear disarmament, before proceeding to Turkey -- where he said his father's Islamic faith and a childhood in Indonesia made him a different kind of president -- and then unexpectedly to Iraq.

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