Obama in Europe seeks 'common ground'

by Christi Parsons

LONDON -- President Barack Obama said this morning that he is in the United Kingdom this week to hear what other world leaders have to say about the global economic meltdown but also to offer leadership to help guide them all out of it.

"I came here to put forward ideas," Obama said. "But I also came here to listen, not to lecture. . . We must not miss the opportunity to lead."

In a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the host of this week's G-20 economic summit, Obama said he is in town to "focus on common ground, not on our occasional differences."

The public question-and-answer session with reporters followed the first one-on-one meeting of Obama's trip to Europe, a presidential debut that will include the economic summit, meetings with NATO allies and the European Union before the week is through.

After emerging from their private meeting Obama and Brown emphasized the importance of their alliance, both pointedly using the phrase "special relationship" to describe the kinship between the American people and the British. The British press made much of the fact that a U.S. official recently used the phrase "special partnership," speculating that it represented a downgrade of some sort.

But Obama and Brown came out laughing and smiling, and speaking of each other and the national relationship in warm terms. As their wives took off on a visit to a cancer center for the morning, the two men joked about their workout routines, their children and football.

In response to press questions, they also downplayed the differences among European and American leaders about how to handle the economic crisis, and suggested the G-20 leaders will take tough, coordinated action to toughen the regulation of financial institutions and spur economic growth.

Brown said the G--20 nations, which together represent more than 80 percent of the world's economy, have to take strong steps and avoid agreeing only on the "lowest common denominator."

Obama said the leaders should focus on common ground, not on their differences, as they address the global economic troubles.

"All of us here in London have a responsibility to act with a sense of urgency," Mr. Obama said, noting that that G-20 leaders are "not going to agree on every point."

Asked if the U.S. is to blame for the problems, Obama said the U.S. "has some accounting to do" with respect to the regulatory system, but also said that around the world there was a "mismatch" in the regulatory regimes.

But, said Obama, "I had a professor when I was in law school who said some are to blame but all are responsible. I think that's the best way for us to approach this now." Brown nodded his support as Obama spoke.

Obama also took issue with the contention that the U.S. is on the decline. People said that ten, twenty, even thirty years ago, he said.

"Somehow it hasn't worked out that way," Obama said. "Because I think there's a vibrancy to our economic model, a durability to our political model, and a set of ideas that has sustained us through even the most difficult times."

The American-British alliance is a big part of that, Brown and Obama said, going out of their way to emphasize that their own nascent relationship is good. After Brown's recent visit to the U.S. to visit the newly elected president, press reports in the UK raised questions about whether the gifts exchanged and body language between the two conveyed the respect and affection between President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Brown, who leaned casually on his podium and smiled at Obama through much of the question-and-answer period, said explicitly that the relationship is a positive one.

"We share a personal connection," he said. "I think we can continue to work together for the common good."

Said Obama: "Both of us greatly value the special relationship between our nations. We've stood together in thick and thin, through war and peace, through hard times and prosperity."

Obama thanked Brown for his hospitality as the host of the G-20 meeting and, personally, of the Obamas. He said he'd hit it off with the Browns' sons, saying he'd managed to squeeze in a little conversation about dinosaurs between talks about Afghanistan and Iraq.

When a British reporter asked Obama if he would choose a favorite soccer team, Obama demurred as Brown helped him laugh off the question .

"I have had enough trouble back home picking my brackets" for college basketball, Obama said. "Stirred up all kinds of controversy. The last thing I'm going to do is wade into European football. I didn't get a briefing on that but I sense that would be a mistake."

After that initial bilateral meeting, Obama set off on a series of tougher ones for the day, beginning with a morning meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, to be closely followed by one with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The day is set to end on a lighter note, when the president and first lady go to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth.

"Michelle has really been thinking that through," the president said.