BRUSSELS (AP):

United States President Barack Obama will meet with European Union leaders at a special summit in April during his first trip to Europe, an official said yesterday.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who currently holds the EU presidency, said Obama has accepted the invitation to visit Prague, the Czech capital, on April 5 to meet with all 27 EU leaders.

Topolanek announced the meeting during a one-day EU summit in Brussels.

The Czechs had been pushing hard to get Obama to visit Prague during his trip to Europe, where he will attend a Group of 20 summit in London on April 2, and a NATO summit held jointly by the neighbouring cities of Strasbourg, in France, and Kehl, Germany, on April 3.

Obama already has met Mexican, Japanese and Canadian leaders but has been slower to see European heads of state since taking office in January.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will become the first EU leader to meet with Obama during a visit to Washington.