UK-US relations ‘special’ – Obama

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

President Obama is due to address both Houses of Parliament later in the day

President Barack Obama has said the relationship between the US and the UK is “special” and “stronger than it has even been”.

At a joint press conference in London with David Cameron, Mr Obama said the two men “saw eye to eye” on a range of issues.

Mr Cameron hailed the relationship as “essential for our security and prosperity”.

Both men reiterated their calls for Libyan leader Col Gaddafi to step down.

The two men earlier held talks in No 10, which were expected to focus on the conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan.

Mr Obama will later make a key foreign policy speech to MPs and peers on the second day of his state visit.

He is expected to focus on recent developments in the Middle East and the nature of the US-UK relationship.

Mr Cameron said the two men had discussed a range of subjects, including recent developments in the Middle East, counter-terrorism and the need to create jobs in the global economy.

He said he had come to know the President well over the past year and had come to “value his leadership and courage”.

President Obama said he and Mr Cameron “saw eye to eye” on a range of subjects, stressing that the US-UK relationship was based on “shared ideals and shared values” not merely “warm sentiment and common history”.