Obama to give speech on Middle East policy after bin Laden death

President Obama will deliver a major speech on U.S. policy on the Middle East in the coming days, the White House said Wednesday.

The speech comes after the killing of Osama bin Laden, which has boosted Obama’s poll ratings. Bin Laden’s death has received a more mixed response in the Middle East.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president’s remarks would not just be directed toward the Arab world, but to a broad audience. He declined to offer further details about the speech’s timing or content.

Reports indicate that the speech could come as early as next week before the president departs for a trip to Europe.

The speech comes amid continued unrest in Syria, Bahrain and Libya. The region has been gripped by a revolutionary fervor that has seen governments fall in Egypt and Tunisia.

Obama has sought to change the U.S. relationship with the Middle East ever since he won office with a campaign platform that opposed the Iraq war.

The president has given speeches in Cairo and Turkey in an effort to reach out to the Muslim world.

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