BP will be focal point in Cameron’s U.S. visit
TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: British Prime Minister David Cameron has arrived in the U.S. for his first official meeting with President Obama. But not surprisingly, BP and the Gulf of Mexico oil gusher are likely to overshadow the visit. From London, Marketplace’s Stephen Beard reports.
Stephen Beard: The prime minister and the president will talk about BP and the Gulf. They ‘ll also tackle an alleged link between oil and terrorism: the early release of the Lockerbie bomber. Abdelbasset Al Megrahi was convicted of planning the 1988 bombing of an aircraft which killed 270 people.
A group of U.S. senators wants to know if BP played a role in his release. The claim is the company lobbied on the bomber’s behalf and gained oil contracts from Libya. Prime Minsiter Cameron is distancing himself from that release. He was not in office at the time and says he opposed it:
David Cameron: He was convicted of being the biggest mass murderer in British history. I saw no case whatsoever for releasing him from prison and I said that a year ago.
President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron may agree over that issue. There may not be much of a meeting of minds over the economy, however. Unlike the U.S., Britain is embarking on a series of huge cuts in public spending to bring down its budget deficit.
In London, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.
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