ISTANBUL, Turkey Barack Obama wrapped up his first European trip as president with a request of the world: Look past his nation's stereotypes and flaws. "You will find a partner and a supporter and a friend in the United States of America," he declared today.

Promising a "new chapter of American engagement" with the rest of the world, Obama said the United States needs to be more patient in its dealings. And he said the rest of the world needs a better sense "that change is possible so we don't have to always be stuck with the same arguments."

The students formed a tight circle around the U.S. president, who slowly paced a sky-blue rug while answering their questions.

Obama rejected "stereotypes" about the United States, including that it has become selfish and crass. "I'm here to tell you that's not the country I know," the president said.

He repeated his pledge to rebuild relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

Obama's message was being warmly received by Arabs and Muslims. In an interview published today, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem called his words "important" and "positive."

The questions for Obama at the town-hall meeting were polite and rarely bracing, though one student asked whether there was any real difference between his White House and the Bush administration. Obama cautioned that while he had great differences with Bush over issues such as Iraq and climate change, it takes time to change a nation as big as the United States.

The Turkish stop capped an eight-day European trip that senior adviser David Axelrod called "enormously productive" including an economic crisis summit in London and a NATO conclave in France and Germany.