News Service from House Harris

UK: Obama takes command on big global debut

LONDON, April 1 AFP - President Barack Obama made a storming debut on the global stage on Wednesday, reeling off successive summits with sometime US rivals Russia and China in an ambitious new dawn for US diplomacy.

Obama also met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and tried to downplay splits with several top European powers in how to save the global economy, on the eve of the G20 economic crisis summit.

After two gruelling months focused almost exclusively on dealing with the domestic US economic maelstrom, Obama turned to apply US power abroad, and announced trips this year to Moscow and China.

His meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev focused on areas of possible cooperation but did not avoid areas of thorny differences, officials said.

Each summit was also aimed at fulfilling wider US foreign policy goals including halting Iran's nuclear drive, advancing the fight against nuclear proliferation and the prospects of a return to global growth.

With Russia, Obama committed to an effort to slash the nuclear weapons stocks of the former Cold War foes, by seeking a replacement for the cornerstone START treaty which expires at the end of the year.

The two leaders also called on Iran to open its nuclear program to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) negotiators, as demanded by the United Nations.

"I am very encouraged by the leadership of the President," Obama said.

"I am especially excited about the fact that the President extended an invitation for me to visit Moscow to build on some of the areas that we discussed today," he said, promising to travel to the Russian capital in July.

Medvedev took the balmy days of summer as a metaphor.

"July is the warmest time in Russia and in Moscow, and I believe that will be exactly the feature of the talks and relations we are going to enjoy during that period in Moscow."

The two leaders also discussed Russian anxiety over US plans for missile defence and candid disagreements over issues like Georgia and Russia's claim to a sphere of influence over former Soviet states.

Obama's next guest at the ornate US ambassador's residence in Regent's Park was China's President Hu Jintao.

The two sides promised to work to fight protectionism and improve military ties and Obama accepted "with pleasure" Hu's invitation to visit China in the second half of the year, a White House statement said.

The leaders agreed to "strengthen ties at all levels" ranging from the economy to fighting terrorism, and would expand consultations on "non-proliferation and other international security topics."

"Both sides share a commitment to military-to-military relations and will work for their continued improvement and development."

Ties between China and the United States have got off to a rocky start under Obama's administration, following sharp exchanges over currency and economic issues and a clash between a US navy ship and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.

"China and the United States agreed to work together to resolutely support global trade and investment flows that benefit all.

"To that end, they are committed to resist protectionism and ensure sound and stable US-China trade relations."

They discussed measures to "reform and strengthen the global financial system, including regulatory standards."

The statement did not mention China's recently expressed anxiety about its huge investments in the United States, or a warning by China's Central Bank chief suggesting the dollar could be replaced as a reserve currency by the IMF's basket comprising dollars, euros, sterling and yen.

The two sides decided to establish a "US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to be headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

With Brown, in a press conference at the Foreign Office, Obama told leading economies to "pick up the pace" as they seek solutions to the world economic crisis at Thursday's G20 summit.

"If there's going to be renewed growth, it can't just be the United States as the engine," he said.

Obama said any differences on whether to rescue the US economy through stimulus packages or regulation - as preferred by France and Germany - had been "vastly overstated."

Later Wednesday, Obama was set to meet Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.