Obama continues European tour in London
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama left Ireland last night and flew to London to begin a three-day State visit.
The presidential couple had to cut their whistlestop tour of Ireland even shorter on fears that the ash cloud hovering near Irish and UK airspace could prevent them from flying this morning.
The Obama’s were greeted by Queen Elizabeth II this morning.
The President’s itinerary in London may not be as celebratory as that seen in Ireland as he sits down with UK Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss NATO’s actions in the Libyan conflict and, more generally, the West’s policy toward Middle East political uprisings.
Cameron and Obama are due to launch a joint US-British initiative to tackle national security challenges together.
Obama is due to give a speech, which will certainly be more political in nature than that given yesterday at College Green, in Westminster Hall tomorrow.
However, there may be some pomp in London – coming not from small, rural village but from the royal family. The Obama’s are being put up in Buckingham Palace for the next two nights and will be honoured with a State dinner hosted by the Queen tonight. He will also meet the newly-weds, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, better known as Will and Kate.
The state visit is only the third by a US president to the UK in 100 years.
The two countries are using the opportunity to reaffirm the special relationship between the US and the UK.
In a jointly-written article in The Times, Obama and Cameron said, “When the United States and Britain stand together, our people and people around the world can become more secure and more prosperous. Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world.”
During his six-day tour of Europe, Obama will also take in France for a G8 meeting and Poland.