By Associated Press. Michelle Obama and her daughters touched down in Morocco on the next leg of their six-day trip to promote education in Africa on Monday evening, where they were welcomed by King Mohammed VI's wife Princess Lalla Selma at the airport. The first lady and her family landed at Menara Airport in Marrakesh after spending the day at a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, where she urged the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school. With her own teenage daughters Malia and Sasha joining her, Obama told the girls she was 'just so thrilled to be here with you. Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady's six-day trip, which also includes a stop in Spain after Morocco.

In Middle East mess, Morocco tries to catch Obama's eye



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Arriving at the White House, the king was greeted by a military honor guard that lined the driveway to the West Wing. In the Oval Office, Obama and King Mohammed made no public remarks before photographers were ushered out. Ahead of the meeting, the White House said Obama planned to discuss U. Cooperation on countering violent extremism was also on the agenda, the White House said. Fighting terrorism in North Africa is a major U. Another likely topic was the monarchy's nasty spat with regional rival Algeria over a disputed region of Western Sahara, which attracted a small group of protesters outside the White House.


Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama arrive in Marrakesh
Israel and Saudi Arabia — unlikely dance partners who both happen to have good relations with Morocco — have been in near lockstep in their outrage over the prospect of a deal that could curb Tehran's nuclear program but leave critical elements intact, such as uranium enrichment. If significant progress is made, Secretary of State John Kerry stands ready to head to Geneva to try to close an interim deal. Many Arab nations have expressed suspicions over Tehran's overtures, but Morocco has offered support for Obama's negotiations with Iran and has signaled that it can be a helpful go-between with Gulf Arab states who are wary of the president's willingness to loosen sanctions at all. The North African country of 32 million, which emerged from Arab Spring revolutions of more stable than many of its neighbors, is hardly a political heavyweight in North Africa and the Middle East. But Morocco, which claims to be the first nation to have recognized the United States in , is making the case that it should play a more essential role in U.




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