Washington  - US President Barack Obama will hold bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy when he attends the NATO summit next month, the White House announced Thursday.

Obama will on March 31 begin his first trip to Europe since taking office, stopping in London to attend a conference of the world's largest economies, before heading to the NATO summit co-hosted by the French city of Strasbourg and German town of Kehl.

Obama will conclude his trip on April 5 at an EU gathering in Prague. The Czech Republic currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Obama's maiden trip abroad as president was to Canada last month. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton first announced Obama's travel plans for Europe earlier Thursday in Brussels, where she was attending a NATO meeting of foreign ministers. (dpa)