U.S., U.K. Support Historic Change in Middle East, North Africa

25 May 2011

By MacKenzie C. Babb
Staff Writer

Washington — President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron May 25 discussed the historic changes unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa, and said they plan to coordinate with their Group of Eight (G8) partners to support nations making the reforms necessary, in Obama’s words, “to build a framework for democracy, freedom and prosperity.”

The leaders addressed reporters in a joint press conference after meeting in London as part of Obama’s official state visit to the United Kingdom. Their talks come ahead of a G8 summit May 26 in Deauville, France.

While “self-determination must be driven by the peoples of” the Middle East and North Africa, Obama said he and Cameron are “committed to doing anything that we can to support peoples who reach for democracy and leaders who implement democratic reforms.”

“We will stand with those who work for freedom,” Cameron said. The prime minister said he and Obama will present this message to the G8 major industrialized countries in a “push for a major program of economic and political support for those countries seeking reform.”

The two said they also discussed efforts to strengthen the global economic recovery and to create jobs. Obama praised cooperation between the two economies, and said the investment relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is the largest in the world, accounting for nearly 1 million jobs in each country. 

“We believe we can make that relationship even stronger with deeper cooperation in areas critical to our future prosperity, like higher education and science and innovation; areas critical to our national security, like cybercrime; and areas vital to the stability of the world, including international development,” Obama said.

Obama said the United States and the United Kingdom are also collaborating to respond to events in Libya, where they have joined with their NATO allies and other partners to protect the Libyan people from violent attacks by Muammar Qadhafi’s forces.

“We will continue to strongly oppose the use of violence against protesters and any efforts to silence those who yearn for freedom and dignity and basic human rights,” Obama said, adding the operations will continue until Qadhafi’s attacks on civilians cease.

The two leaders expressed respect for Syrians who Obama said have shown “great courage in their demands for a democratic transition.” Obama also applauded the people of Yemen for their calls for “greater opportunity and prosperity and a nation that is more unified and more secure.” Obama urged an orderly and peaceful resolution to the political crisis in Yemen.

Obama and Cameron discussed their countries’ joint military efforts, and reaffirmed the importance of transferring security control of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces from NATO-led troops to Afghan forces beginning in 2011 with a target of completion by the end of 2014. They reiterated their “strong and enduring” partnership with the Afghan people during the transition and beyond.

The leaders said their talks covered cooperation in countering terrorism, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and other security issues. The two also celebrated joint work in civilian sectors, ranging from scientific collaboration to business alliances.

Cameron called the U.S.-U.K. relationship a “living, working partnership” that is “essential to our security … and for our prosperity.”

After talks with Cameron, Obama addressed the British Parliament. His stop in London is part of a six-day European tour that began with a visit to Ireland. He will visit France and Poland before returning to Washington May 28.