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Obama urges UK to stay in the European Union Obama admits US gun laws are his 'biggest frustration'
(about 2 hours later)
The UK must stay in the European Union to continue to have influence on the world stage, US President Barack Obama has told the BBC. President Barack Obama has admitted that his failure to pass "common sense gun safety laws" in the US is the greatest frustration of his presidency.
He said the UK's EU membership "gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union". In an interview with the BBC, Mr Obama said it was "distressing" not to have made progress on the issue "even in the face of repeated mass killings".
Speaking to the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel, he said the EU "made the world safer and more prosperous". He vowed to keep trying, but the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel said the president did not sound very confident.
He also admitted that the failure to pass "common sense gun safety laws" in the US was his biggest frustration. However, Mr Obama said race relations had improved during his presidency.
Mr Obama said the UK was America's "best partner" because of its willingness to project power beyond its "immediate self-interests to make this a more orderly, safer world". In a wide-ranging interview, President Obama also said:
He also called UK Prime Minister David Cameron an "outstanding partner" and congratulated his government for meeting the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. But with just 18 months left in power, he said gun control was the area where he has been "most frustrated and most stymied" since coming to power in 2009.
Mr Obama denied putting pressure on Mr Cameron to meet that target but said there was an "honest conversation" between the two leaders.
He was speaking to the BBC at the White House before departing for Kenya, where he begins a short tour of Africa on Friday.
With just 18 months left in power, he said the area he has been "most frustrated and most stymied" in was gun control "even in the face of repeated mass killings".
"If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands," Mr Obama said."If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands," Mr Obama said.
Obama urges UK to stay in the EU
"For us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is distressing," he added."For us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is distressing," he added.
Mr Obama has pushed for stricter gun control throughout his presidency but has been unable to secure any significant changes to the laws.Mr Obama has pushed for stricter gun control throughout his presidency but has been unable to secure any significant changes to the laws.
After nine African-American churchgoers were killed in South Carolina in June, he admitted "politics in this town" meant there were few options available.After nine African-American churchgoers were killed in South Carolina in June, he admitted "politics in this town" meant there were few options available.
He vowed to continue fighting for tougher gun laws during his remaining months in power, but the BBC's Jon Sopel said the president did not sound very confident. Analysis: Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington
On race relations, Mr Obama told the BBC that "recent concerns around policing and mass incarcerations are legitimate and deserve intense attention". President Obama seemed very confident and very relaxed, as if he felt things were starting to go his way after some people had written off his presidency.
But progress was being made, he insisted, adding that children growing up during his presidency "will have a different view of race relations in this country and what's possible". After the midterm elections, Mr Obama looked as if he was walking around with a very heavy weight on his back, feeling very frustrated.
But since then he's had the diplomatic deal with Cuba, the nuclear agreement with Iran, an Asian trade deal and several other successes.
Suddenly, he has a spring in his step. He feels like he's achieving quite a lot at the moment and he still has ambitions to achieve an awful lot more.
On race relations, Mr Obama said recent concerns around policing and mass incarcerations were "legitimate and deserve intense attention" but insisted progress had been made.
Children growing up during the eight years of his presidency "will have a different view of race relations in this country and what's possible," he said.
"There are going to be tensions that arise. But if you look at my daughters' generation, they have an attitude about race that's entirely different than even my generation.""There are going to be tensions that arise. But if you look at my daughters' generation, they have an attitude about race that's entirely different than even my generation."
Mr Obama was speaking to the BBC at the White House before departing for Kenya, where he begins a short tour of Africa on Friday.
Talking about how he was feeling after his recent successes, he said "every president, every leader has strengths and weaknesses".
"One of my strengths is I have a pretty even temperament. I don't get too high when it's high and I don't get too low when it's low," he said.