BURAS, La./LONDON (Reuters) – US President Barack Obama told British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday that he will insist BP Plc pays clean-up costs and meets economic claims from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Obama also said his frustration with BP was not about national identity after criticism from some in Britain that his rhetoric had taken on an anti-British tone.
Oil gushed from a blown-out undersea well for the 54th day, adding to the millions of gallons that have poured into the Gulf since an April 20 offshore rig blast killed 11 workers.
The ecological disaster spread along the US Gulf Coast, contaminating beaches and wildlife habitats, killing birds, sea turtles and dolphins, and damaging the region’s lucrative tourism and fishing industries.
The ruptured well is estimated to be spewing out up to 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons/6.4 million litres) of oil a day, and it is only partly contained. The United States has told the London-based energy giant to come up with a better containment plan in two days.
In a 30-minute phone call, the US and British leaders attempted to play down tensions over the oil spill. Obama said he had no interest in undermining the value of BP, according to a statement from Cameron’s office.
BP, a staple holding of British pension funds, has lost tens of billions of dollars of its market value and is under pressure from some US lawmakers to suspend its dividend until the Gulf crisis is resolved and damages are paid out to individuals and businesses in the region.
But Obama, according to a US official, said he will insist that BP pays clean-up costs and meets economic claims from the oil spill.
Cameron, who took office last month, has come under pressure to do more to protect a company that accounts for 12 per cent of all dividends paid by British companies.
The two leaders reaffirmed their confidence in the strength of ties between their countries.
“President Obama said to the Prime Minister that his unequivocal view was that BP was a multinational global company and that frustrations about the oil spill had nothing to do with national identity,” Cameron’s office said.
BP expects the total bill for the clean-up to be $3 billion to $6 billion.
BP’s board, which has met weekly since the crisis started, could take up the issue of the dividend tomorrow. But a source said a decision may not be made until after BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg has met with Obama at the White House on Wednesday.
Before meeting with Svanberg, Obama — facing criticism for not responding aggressively enough — is due to return to the Gulf Coast tomorrow for the fourth time since the crisis erupted. He plans to survey the response effect, and meet with Gulf residents and officials during a two-day visit.
