BRITISH PRIME MINISTER CAMERON MAKES FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO US
Baku, July 20 (AZERTAC). As Prime Minister David Cameron makes his first visit to Washington as the British leader, he is expected to defend embattled oil company BP, VOA said. In addition to the Gulf oil spill, American lawmakers are displeased that the oil giant may have had a hand in the release of the alleged Lockerbie bomber, freed last year on compassionate grounds. Mr. Cameron and President Obama are also expected to discuss Afghanistan; Mr. Cameron says he would like British troops out by 2015.
The British prime minister has much to discuss in his first official meeting with President Obama.
Dana Allin, an expert in transatlantic relations at International Institute for Strategic Studies here in London says no matter what the two men talk about, their relationship remains intact.
"I think the relationship is essentially very strong," says Allin. "The United States and the United Kingdom are treaty allies; they`re fighting a war together in Afghanistan; they have deep, deep intelligence cooperation; and they see eye-to-eye on a lot of global issues."
One awkward subject for Prime Minister Cameron will likely be British oil giant BP, and its failure to quickly stop the flow of millions of gallons of oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. lawmakers are also calling for an investigation into whether BP played a role in the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. He received a hero`s welcome in Libya last year. The lawmakers accuse BP of pressuring Britain to free al-Megrahi so the company could pursue an oil deal with Libya.
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