Brotherhood of the burger kings: Obama and Cameron hail special relationship

Brotherhood of the burger kings: Obama and Cameron hail special relationship... but don't see eye to eye over Gaddafi or pace of budget cuts

By James Chapman

Last updated at 12:33 AM on 26th May 2011




Barack Obama and David Cameron promised yesterday to reward Arab countries which embrace democracy and hailed the special relationship between Britain and the US as ‘stronger than ever before’.

Side by side in the early summer sunshine, the two leaders sought to draw a line under the military adventures of Tony Blair and George Bush.

Insisting they had ‘learned the lessons’ of botched attempts to impose democracy through military force, they pledged instead a package of economic and political support for ‘Arab Spring’ states which accept reform.

President Obama and David Cameron had earlier held a BBQ at Downing Street before holding a joint press conference at Lancaster House

Mr Obama speaks during a joint press conference with David Cameron at Lancaster House yesterday in which they answered questions about several topics

Mr Cameron said: ‘We will stand with those who work for freedom. This is the message we’ll take to the G8 when we push for a major programme of economic and political support for those countries seeking reform.

‘And this is why we mobilised the international community to protect the Libyan people from Colonel Gaddafi’s regime.’

 

But all the bonhomie – sealed as the pair served up burgers and lamb chops at a barbecue for military veterans in the Downing Street garden – could not conceal differences over the conflict in Libya and the pace of deficit reduction measures.

Mr Cameron insisted that it was time to ‘turn up the heat’ on Colonel Gaddafi and repeated his insistence that the dictator must go.


President Obama, by contrast, suggested that seeing the job through might mean ‘at a minimum’ ensuring Gaddafi ‘doesn’t have the capacity to send in a bunch of thugs to murder innocent civilians’.

He cautioned that there were ‘inherent limitations’ to military action, given that both the US and the UK had ruled out putting troops on the ground.

And while he agreed on the need for austerity measures to ensure a ‘mountain of debt’ is not left to future generations, he shied away from giving a specific endorsement of Mr Cameron’s deficit reduction strategy.

Mr Obama – who has postponed spending cuts and tax rises until next year, but then plans to cut his deficit at a faster pace than Britain – stressed the need to maintain investment in education, science and infrastructure.

‘The pressures that each country is under from world capital markets are different,’ he said. While governments had to ‘live within their means’, the nature of their debt and deficits are also different.

‘And as a consequence the sequencing or pace may end up being different,’ he added.

Spectacular: Westminster Hall provided an impressive backdrop for the speech, only the fourth by a foreign leader to both Houses of Parliament

Sweep of history: Mr Obama quoted Churchill as he gave his address to a packed chamber

Hundreds of MPs, peers and other specially invited guests, including former Prime Minsters, packed into Westminster Hall for the keynote speech

HALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

The oldest building on the Parliamentary estate, Westminster Hall was constructed in 1097 under the orders of William II, who wanted to impress his subjects.

At the time, it was the largest hall in Europe - measuring 240ft x 67ft and a floor area of 17,000 sq ft.

For seven centuries, Westminster Hall served as the centre of the legal system.

However, It was also used for ceremonial functions such as coronation banquets.

The King's High Table, unearthed by archaeologists in 2006, was used for over 300 years by monarchs - not only for lavish breakfasts, but as a place where early forms of English law were laid down.

Among the many landmark events to take place within its walls are:
1559: Coronation banquet of Elizabeth I
1606: Trial of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot conspirators
1910: First royal lying-in-state (Edward VII)
1952: George VI's lying-in-state
1960: Address by President de Gaulle of France
1965: Winston Churchill's lying-in-state (pictured above)
1996: Address by Nelson Mandela
2002: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's lying-in-state. Address by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee
2010: Visit by Pope Benedict XVI

Later, becoming the first US President to address both Houses of Parliament in the 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall, he praised relations between Britain and the US as ‘one of the oldest and strongest alliances the world has ever known’. The President used his state visit to soothe anxieties over his attitude to Britain, which initially appeared cool.

He said the relationship between the UK and US was forever being ‘overanalysed’, but added: ‘There are few nations that stand firmer, speak louder and fight harder to defend democratic values around the world than the United States and the United Kingdom.’

His central message – to an audience including Mr Cameron, Mr Blair, Gordon Brown and Sir John Major – was that the US, Britain and their allies would always stand by those who want freedom. With operations wound down in Iraq, efforts beginning to achieve a political settlement in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda dealt ‘a huge blow by killing its leader Osama Bin Laden’, the President said it was time to open a ‘new chapter in our shared history’.

He dismissed the idea that the relentless rise of China and India would spell the end for American and British sway in the world.

‘Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for our leadership has passed,’ he said. ‘That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now.’ Mr Obama invoked Winston Churchill as he painted Britain and America as beacons of democracy around the world.

The West’s response to the Arab Spring, which has seen uprisings sweep across the Middle East and North Africa, was key, he said.

The package of support for Arab countries will be outlined at a G8 summit in France today. The scheme is to be modelled on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which helped build market economies and democracies in post-communist Europe. Mr Cameron, beside the President in the grounds of Lancaster House, said ‘every relationship between a prime minister and president is different’.

He added: ‘I would say both of us strongly believe in the special relationship. We both called it an essential relationship.

‘But we have to learn the lessons of history about how best you promote the values that we share.

Rare honour: Mr Obama is the first U.S. President to speak to both Houses inside the historic Hall

Atmospheric: The audience are viewed at the back of the hall (left) while Mr Obama turns to wave as he leaves Westminster after his address

‘That means, yes, going with the grain of cultures. It means, yes, having a patient understanding that building democracy takes time.

‘You have to work on the building blocks, and not believe it can be done in an instant.’ The conflict in Libya dominated talks lasting 90 minutes between the leaders in Number Ten. Both sought to stress the differences with the ill-fated Iraq invasion – insisting ground troops would never be involved and that the United Nations had given its backing.

Mr Cameron said there was no future for the country with Colonel Gaddafi in power, adding: ‘The President and I agree we should be turning up the heat in Libya.’

Barack Obama walked from St Stephen's Porch past the World War One memorial to deliver his address

Mr Obama, escorted by John Bercow, left, Speaker of the House of Commons, and Helen Hayman, Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, walks into Westminster Hall to address members of both Houses of Parliament in London today

Ministers are expected to confirm the expected deployment of Apache attack helicopters to Libya today, a move seen as a significant escalation of Britain’s role in the conflict.

Mr Obama said ‘enormous progress’ had been made in saving civilian lives, declaring that the US was ‘strongly committed to seeing the job through’.

‘I believe that we have built enough momentum that, as long as we sustain the course we are on, he (Gaddafi) will step down,’ he added. ‘Ultimately this is going to be a slow, steady process in which we are able to wear down the regime forces.’

Britain’s former ambassador in Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer, described the President’s visit as a ‘new start’ for the special relationship. He said: ‘I think there was a determination on both sides of the Atlantic, in London and in Washington, to get this relationship on an even keel.’

First ladiesman the salad bowls as Dave and Barack get grilling

By PAUL HARRIS

They had spent the morning endeavouring to sort out the world’s problems between them. Now it was time to turn up the heat.
Jackets off, tongs at the ready, Barack Obama and David Cameron got down to the real meat of the President’s visit yesterday – cooking up a special relationship of the barbecue kind.
Forget Libya, Afghanistan and the global economy for a moment. In the back yard of 10 Downing Street (over here we call it a garden), The Most Powerful Man in the World stood side by side with the Prime Minister to produce their first bilateral burger.

Anyone for coleslaw? U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron, wife of the Prime Minister, serve salad items at the barbecue for British and American service members and veterans

Barack Obama, right, and David Cameron serve food from a barbecue as they entertain British and American service members and veterans at 10 Downing Street today

Obama and Cameron diligently serve a burger to a soldier wounded in service during the garden party

And with great relish – coleslaw, mostly – they dedicated it to the honour of servicemen from both sides of the Atlantic.
Beneath Union Flag and Stars and Stripes bunting, the pair helped to grill and serve a range of BBQ fare, dishing it out to 150 military guests. A few steps away the two First Ladies, Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron, chatted casually as they did their duty with the salad and side-dishes.
The extraordinary alliance encapsulated the spirit of co-operation and relaxed friendship the foursome appear to have found during the President’s trip. This being a photocall, however, the emphasis was clearly on the ham in hamburger.
Mr Obama, a veteran of White House lawn barbies, was moved to praise the ‘outstanding’ lunch he had just enjoyed – not least, it is assumed, because he flipped the burger himself.

The Prime Minister, left, and the President appeared at ease as they entertained military personnel in shirt sleeves

Servicemen and their partners arrive at the Downing Street garden party, which was attended by 150 American and British military personnel

Mr Cameron won a laugh from his guest by joking that the meal made him the first British PM to boast he had given the US President a grilling. Perhaps the only sign that his was a coalition burger was that it was served with the option of cheese. Also on the menu was corn on the cob – an ingredient that forms an essential relationship with the meat in any American BBQ; plus British sausages, Kentish lamb chops and Jersey Royal potatoes.
The pair’s culinary partnership (someone called them the burger kings) saw the two men sharing quips and swapping the occasional cookery tip as they grilled and served. They must have been the only men ever to have hosted a garden barbecue dressed in suit trousers and ties, but in fairness, their guests were mostly in military uniform, some wounded, and bearing medals.
Likewise, Michelle and Samantha appeared to be getting on just swell. Someone must have decided that the sideline role of salad duty is the correct deployment for women when two alpha males find meat and fire, but neither seemed to regard it as demotion. The US First Lady and Mrs Cameron appeared to be having what could fairly be described as a good old natter.
The Duchess of Cornwall was spotted sipping a cool drink in the sunshine on a terrace at Clarence House next door, glancing occasionally at the historic moment unfolding beneath. Alas, they didn’t save her a sausage.

BECKHAM AND FIRTH AT U.S. PARTY

David Beckham, Colin Firth and J K Rowling were among the guests last night as the Americans hosted a dinner for the Queen at the U.S. ambassador’s home in London.
The footballer, the Oscar-winning actor and the Harry Potter author joined 50 others at Winfield House in Regents Park.
Michelle Obama, who co-hosted the evening with her husband, wore a stunning black off-the-shoulder dress by American designer Ralph Lauren at the black-tie dinner.
The President’s wife also showed off a selection of jewels including what appeared to be a diamond necklace and bracelet.
Mr Obama had invited the Queen and Prince Philip to Winfield House as a thank you for Tuesday night’s Buckingham Palace state banquet.
The two couples greeted each other warmly, shaking hands and exchanging smiles and a few words before posing for photographers.
They then went inside for a three-course meal that included lobster ravioli, griddled filet of aged Highland beef, crushed Jersey royals with rosemary, asparagus and minted broad beans, and classic pecan pie and brandy ice cream.

THE BAND PLAYED... TOO SOON

They may have praised the ‘special relationship’, but bi-lateral relations weren’t entirely in tune at the state banquet held at Buckingham Palace.
The band accidentally started playing the national anthem over the end of President Obama’s speech on Tuesday night.
The slip-up occurred when orchestra of the 1st Battalion Scots Guard piped up with God Save The Queen from the ballroom balcony prematurely, assuming Mr Obama had finished speaking when he picked up his glass to toast the Queen.
In fact, he was only beginning his rousing concluding remarks, in which he quoted Shakespeare.
Clearly bemused, Mr Obama soldiered on as the band played.
Sources said the band were normally given copies of both the Queen’s speech and that of her guest of honour so they knew when to start playing.
But the Americans had refused to hand over a copy of theirs so the band was forced to guess when to strike up.

QUENTIN LETTS: Obama had us all in a trance. No Wonder Ken nodded off

President Obama was accorded all the rites and ceremonies of Westminster Hall: state trumpets, soothing airs from the band of the Welsh Guards and, under the Norman hammer beams, a rumble as though from a punctured euphonium. Ken Clarke was snoring again!

Quite apart from the dozing Hush Puppy, the US President had to contend with some Olympic-standard greasing from comedy duo John Bercow, Speaker of the Commons, and his Lords counterpart Lady Hayman. Ew, the cloying glurption of Bercow’s introduction.

Added incident came when some poor soul was taken ill during the speech and had to be wheeled out – an operation executed with silent despatch by the doorkeepers. But Mr Obama kept going and by the end he had won the hall round.

Nodding off: Ken Clarke was so enthralled by Obama's speech that he fell asleep in the middle of it

He had a good opening gag about how his predecessors at this lectern were ‘the Pope, the Queen and Nelson Mandela’. Mr Obama: ‘It’s either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke.’

His rhythm was relaxed, almost musical. Certain words were elongated – ‘peeeeace’, ‘yeeeears’ – and final sibilants rang wet and whistly. These ‘s’ sounds at the end of ‘bounds’, ‘nations’, challenges’ and repeatedly ‘peace’, lent the performance an almost hypnotic quality. Gentle whooshes of air brake. The squeak of an organ pedal.

The speech had a strong end, asserting that ‘all beings are endowed by our Creator with certain rights that cannot be denied’. Creator, eh? The Leftie secularists won’t like that. He insisted that the West’s duty of world leadership was not over and he justified the political vocation. It was ‘a conviction that we have a say in how the story ends’.

The middle did drag, though. That was when Ken Clarke drifted off. He was not necessarily the only one. Security paranoia had made the afternoon tiresomely protracted. Some of us were told to be in place two hours before Mr Obama arrived.

Comedy duo: Mr Obama had to put up with some Olympic style greasing from John Bercow and Lady Hayman

Leaders past and present: David Cameron (talkiing to Foreign Secretary William Hague) was seated by John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown

Slowly the Westminster cattle market assembled. Ed Balls strode in, a good two paces ahead of his wife Yvette. He was all muscle-swagger while she proceeded with a slope-shouldered, hand-wringing gait.

Tory MP Laura Sandys threw her blonde mane around like best-of-breed in Afghan hounds, rubbing old men’s spines with her fingers as she greeted them. Lord Heseltine and his eyebrows were off to the right. Here came the Howes, Geoffrey and Elspeth, she briskly telling him where to sit. A ghostly figure: Lord Hutton, he of the whitewash report into the Iraq War. Gulam Noon, curry peer, was dropped off by a limo with a bashed side. Peter Mandelson sidled in, sotto.

The press enclosure vibrated: Chris Huhne was in attendance with his girlfriend Eric, or whatever her name is. Euro-bore Bill Cash was looking for a perch and everyone suddenly looked at their programmes. Gordon Brown was shown to a seat beside Tony Blair. He resisted any urge to throttle Blair but proceeded to talk at him for the next hour. Serves Blair right. And before the president’s arrival a young woman, possibly an ex-stewardess with Dan Air, made an absurd safety announcement which generated open dissent and mirth from our political elite. Her announcement that Mr Bercow would be making ‘a short speech’ won her a great bark of laughter. The visiting Yankees blinked in bafflement. Such rudeness to a Speaker. It would have taken too long to have explained that he deserves it.

American commentators were apparently perplexed that the Obama speech was not interrupted by standing ovations. No disrespect intended, chaps. We just tend not to do that sort of thing here, thinking it a bit TV gameshow. I thought the audience (I nearly said ‘congeregation’) behaved well, and the speech deserved it.

Mr Obama’s departure from the hall took a while. He was rewarded with little, rolling squalls of applause, even squeals of excitement from parliamentarians who had managed to shake his hand. Floella Benjamin, once a kiddies’ TV presenter, hugged him. Lucky not to be shot by the CIA.

The bookies are out of pocket again after Ken Clarke dozed off during Barack Obama’s speech in Westminster Hall. Ladbroke’s had offered even money on him snoozing again during a major political event this year after he fell asleep during George Osborne’s Budget Speech.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1390800/Obama-reaffirms-special-relationship-U-S-historic-speech-MPs.html#ixzz1NPWP5IhN