Obama: The US will stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with crisis-hit Greece

President Barack Obama arrived in Greece on Tuesday on his last foreign tour as president of the United States, and Athens said it held out hope that he would help persuade the country's creditors to restructure some of its monumental debt.

Obama at least gestured in that direction, saying the United States would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with crisis-hit Greece through its challenges ahead, acknowledging progress on economic adjustment.

"Greece has gone through very challenging and dramatic times over the last several years," Obama, the first US president to visit Greece since Bill Clinton in 1999, said during a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

"We are glad to see that progress is being made, although we recognize that there are significant challenges ahead, and we intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Greek people throughout this...