This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/13/cameron-obama-washington-eu-pullout
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama offers a hand on EU to his 'friend and partner' Cameron | Obama offers a hand on EU to his 'friend and partner' Cameron |
| (7 days later) | |
| British prime ministers are advised to show a little humility when the US president receives them in the East Room of the White House. | British prime ministers are advised to show a little humility when the US president receives them in the East Room of the White House. |
| Hanging on the wall is the Lansdowne portrait of 1797, depicting George Washington, which was rescued during the burning of Washington in 1814 when British troops set fire to public buildings throughout the city. | Hanging on the wall is the Lansdowne portrait of 1797, depicting George Washington, which was rescued during the burning of Washington in 1814 when British troops set fire to public buildings throughout the city. |
| Still, despite the reminder of a not always easy relationship, Obama hailed Cameron as his "friend and partner" at the start of a joint press conference after an hour of talks in the Oval Office. | Still, despite the reminder of a not always easy relationship, Obama hailed Cameron as his "friend and partner" at the start of a joint press conference after an hour of talks in the Oval Office. |
| Obama's gushing language was in the familiar tradition of recent US presidents who score an easy hit with visiting British prime ministers by lavishing them with praise and hailing the Anglo-American special relationship. | Obama's gushing language was in the familiar tradition of recent US presidents who score an easy hit with visiting British prime ministers by lavishing them with praise and hailing the Anglo-American special relationship. |
| But this time Obama went further and offered Cameron some useful cover as he tries to fight growing pressure in the Conservative party to hold an immediate in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership. | But this time Obama went further and offered Cameron some useful cover as he tries to fight growing pressure in the Conservative party to hold an immediate in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership. |
| In a rare intervention in the internal workings of an allied country, Obama said: "You probably want to see if you can fix what is broken in a very important relationship before you break it off. It makes some sense to me." | In a rare intervention in the internal workings of an allied country, Obama said: "You probably want to see if you can fix what is broken in a very important relationship before you break it off. It makes some sense to me." |
| The president's carefully scripted remarks produced paroxysms of excitement among aides accompanying the prime minister. "Most powerful man on earth supports PM's position," one said. | The president's carefully scripted remarks produced paroxysms of excitement among aides accompanying the prime minister. "Most powerful man on earth supports PM's position," one said. |
| Obama's intervention on such a touchstone issue for Cameron shows how the prime minister has succeeded in forging a relationship that goes beyond the usual pleasantries. The president, whose respect for Cameron grew when he took such a strong stance on Libya, is now prepared to go out on a limb and help his "friend and partner" when he faces pressure back home. But Obama indicated that his support would not be unconditional, as he gave a gentle hint of US unease about the prime minister's plans to renegotiate Britain's EU membership terms if he wins the 2015 general election. | Obama's intervention on such a touchstone issue for Cameron shows how the prime minister has succeeded in forging a relationship that goes beyond the usual pleasantries. The president, whose respect for Cameron grew when he took such a strong stance on Libya, is now prepared to go out on a limb and help his "friend and partner" when he faces pressure back home. But Obama indicated that his support would not be unconditional, as he gave a gentle hint of US unease about the prime minister's plans to renegotiate Britain's EU membership terms if he wins the 2015 general election. |
| The president said he would wait to see the outcome of the negotiations before giving a judgment. Obama even suggested the negotiations may not be successful when he said he "would be interested in seeing whether or not those are successful before rendering a final judgment". | The president said he would wait to see the outcome of the negotiations before giving a judgment. Obama even suggested the negotiations may not be successful when he said he "would be interested in seeing whether or not those are successful before rendering a final judgment". |
| The nuanced messages from Obama on the EU show the president thinks the immediate pressure on Cameron is palpably wrongheaded and should be resisted. But his clarion call for Britain to remain in the EU – as a way of strengthening both British and US interests – shows that Obama believes a battle lies ahead of potentially global significance. | The nuanced messages from Obama on the EU show the president thinks the immediate pressure on Cameron is palpably wrongheaded and should be resisted. But his clarion call for Britain to remain in the EU – as a way of strengthening both British and US interests – shows that Obama believes a battle lies ahead of potentially global significance. |
| The prime minister greeted the support from Obama with good grace as he saw the president deprive some eurosceptics of a vital weapon in their armoury – that Britain should choose the US over the EU. | The prime minister greeted the support from Obama with good grace as he saw the president deprive some eurosceptics of a vital weapon in their armoury – that Britain should choose the US over the EU. |
| But he was not afraid to voice his unease over a failure to act on Syria as he announced an extra £10m to fund non-lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition. | But he was not afraid to voice his unease over a failure to act on Syria as he announced an extra £10m to fund non-lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |