UPDATED ON:
Saturday, July 26, 2008
06:41 Mecca time, 03:41 GMT
 
News Europe
Obama in UK after France visit
Obama's European tour began in Germany and ends in the United Kingdom [EPA]

Barack Obama, the US presidential hopeful, is to meet Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, in London on Saturday, with the focus on key foreign policy issues facing both countries.

The Democratic Party White House nominee was due at the British leader's official 10 Downing Street residence after an early meeting  with Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, now the international community's Middle East envoy.

He was also to meet the leader of Britain's main opposition Conservatives, David Cameron, whose centre-right party is riding high in the opinion polls and could win the next general election.

According to Saturday's British media reports, Brown is facing mounting calls from his Labour Party colleagues to quit, after a third crushing by-election defeat in as many months on Thursday and polling plunged to new lows.

Bad time
  
The Independent newspaper said on Saturday it was a bad time for him to meet "arguably the world's most popular politician".
 
Obama's national security adviser, Wendy Morigi, said late on Friday that the Illinois senator had enjoyed his previous discussions with Brown, whom he met in Washington in May with his Republican Party rival, John McCain.
  
He "looks forward to meeting with him again to discuss shared security challenges in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He also expects to exchange views on climate change and non-proliferation," she added.
  
Talks with Blair and Cameron - whom Obama may have to deal with if Brown goes and he becomes the first African-American US president - will be on "shared challenges" in energy, climate change and the  global economy, she said.

Obama left France on Friday where he was greeted by hundreds of supporters outside the presidential palace in Paris, before holding talks with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

At a joint news conference following their discussions, Obama said Iran should not wait for a new US president to be elected to resolve its dispute with the West over its nuclear programme.

'Finish the job'

He said: "Iran should accept the proposals that President Sarkozy and the EU ... are presenting now. Don't wait for the next president."

The comments came after world powers warned Iran has only a fortnight to respond to their latest offer seeking to end a five-year crisis over its nuclear programme, which Tehran claims has peaceful ends, but which others fear masks nuclear.

Obama also said his recent trip to Afghanistan had showed him that the US needs to send more troops there and that the world must "finish the job" in defeating the Taliban.

He said the US needed to send at least two additional brigades and urged a greater commitment from Nato allies.

He said it is "a war we have to win".

Sarkozy recently pledged to send more troops to Afghanistan, a decision Obama praised as "courageous".

The French president said that there had been a "tremendous convergence" of views in their discussions.

 Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 3
 
El Zorro
United States
26/07/2008
Obama LeFigaro
Obama's lack of historical knowledge makes it impossible for him to attack terrorism at its very roots two centuries of European and U.S. imperialism. This historical reality based on the forces of greed, domination and racism, cannot be white washed by the black candidate. He can get on his bicycle and chase Obama half way around the world, destroying lifes and nations, comitting one crime against humanity for another, as his predecesor. Nothing will change, it is not a matter of image.

Nick
Canada
26/07/2008
"A war we have to win"?
He seems wise, and yet sometimes he knows so little. A war we have to win? Nobody has ever won a war. You can't win a war. You can kill people, and you can keep people down for awhile, and you can create more seething hatred to eventually bring about another war. But you cannot win a war. That's just the point. That delusion is America's fatal nemesis. I think I was about 6 years old when I learned that.

Sohail Gill
Pakistan
26/07/2008
Obama in UK after France visit
He has not concluded anything after Iraq & Afghabistan trip,his draft policy on the war torn areas does not appear to be much different than the previous....what has he got to do with UK & France ?It is given to understand that US presidential candidates learn after entering into WH?

 
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