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Obama defends foreign tour as visit closes
Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown (R) walks with US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) through Horseguards Parade behind 10 Downing Street in London, July 26, 2008. |
U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, wrapping up an overseas tour where he got a rock star reception, defended his decision to take the trip despite mixed signals about its impact on his popularity at home.
“I am convinced that many of the issues we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad,” he told reporters in London on Saturday after meeting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
“This was important for me not only to try to highlight or amplify how the international situation affects our economy back home but also hopefully to give people at home, but also leaders abroad, some sense of where an Obama administration might take our foreign policy.”
Obama said he spoke with Brown on topics ranging from the Middle East to climate change, terrorism and financial markets.
The two men spent more than two hours together, first chatting on the patio of 10 Downing Street and during a brief stroll together in a tourist area nearby.
Obama, a Democrat who is running against Republican John McCain in the November 4 U.S. election, has been on a seven-nation overseas tour that began in Iraq and Afghanistan and included Israel, Jordan and Kuwait as well as Europe.
He aims to burnish his foreign policy credentials and counter McCain’s criticism that he lacks experience.
A daily tracking poll from Gallup published on Friday showed Obama with a six-point lead over McCain, close to the lead he has held over his Republican rival for the past several weeks.
PROTOCOL RESPECTED
Earlier Obama had breakfast with Brown’s predecessor as British prime minister, Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Their talks focused on the Middle East and climate change, Blair’s office said in a statement.
Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in the November 4 U.S. election, aims to burnish his foreign policy credentials through his overseas trip and counter McCain’s criticism that he lacks experience.
Obama’s early opposition to the Iraq war accounts for part of his appeal with the European public. He has called for a refocusing of U.S. efforts on Afghanistan and an end to the Iraq war. He also wants Europe to contribute more in Afghanistan.
Brown followed protocol to ensure he did not appear to be favoring a particular candidate in the race between Obama and McCain.
There was no handshake between Brown and Obama at the front door of Downing Street, as would take place with a visiting head of government, and did not hold a joint news conference.
Obama was later to meet opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron, whose party enjoys a strong lead over Brown’s Labor Party in opinion polls.
Source: Reuters
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