Shared values of UK and US must lead world says Barack Obama

PRESIDENT Barack Obama declared that the "shared values" of the UK and United States forged over the centuries should lead the world and not be sidelined by other emerging powers.

In an historic speech in Westminster Hall yesterday - the first by a US president to a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament - Mr Obama hailed the continuing "unique and special" relationship between the two countries and said the US and Europe should not give way to countries like China.

Addressing the British political establishment, Mr Obama said that the West's leadership was not something of the past but "is now", and warned that "leadership needs to change with the times".

The speech came on a day in which Mr Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron had gone out of their way to underline the closeness of the relationship between the two countries, starting with a barbecue for military families at Downing Street.

In Westminster Hall, Mr Obama received a standing ovation before he spoke, and found it hard to leave the chamber as guests pressed to meet him.

His measured words were a defiant note against many who claim countries without a democratic tradition, like China, are replacing the old order, particularly after the economic crisis.

He said that at a "pivotal moment" in history, with demands for democracy across the Arab world and an international coalition fighting oppression in Libya, Britain and America remained "indispensable to the goal of a century which is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just".

He also appealed for European states to get behind those countries, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, which are struggling to get full democracy.

He called on the UK and EU to provide funds for the newly democratic Tunisia and Egypt to "reward countries which embrace democratic values".

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He added that they should also be "sanctioning those who pursue repression".

"History tells us that democracy is not easy. It will be years before these revolutions reach their conclusion and there will be difficult days along the way."

But he added: "Make no mistake, what we saw - what we are seeing - in Tehran, in Tunis, in Tahrir Square, is a longing for the same freedoms that we take for granted here at home.

"It was a rejection of the notion that people in certain parts of the world don't want to be free or need to have democracy imposed on them.

"It was a rebuke to the worldview of al-Qaeda which smothers the rights of individuals and would thereby subject them to perpetual poverty and violence.

"Let there be no doubt, the United States and the United Kingdom stand squarely on the side of those who long to be free."

With the two countries still fighting together in Afghanistan and Libya, Mr Obama turned to the example of wartime leaders who had used force to attack tyranny and spread democracy.

But instead of evoking the memory of his predecessor George Bush and ex-prime minister Tony Blair, who was in the audience, he raised the memory of Churchill and Roosevelt.

He said he had known "few greater honours" than becoming the first US president to address what he termed "the mother of Parliaments" in the 900-year-old hall.

It is an honour previously granted to only a handful of eminent world figures including Nelson Mandela, the Queen and Pope Benedict XVI - a line-up who Mr Obama quipped represented "either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke".He recalled the alliance of Britain and America in the Second World War, the Cold War and the struggle against terrorism as he said: "The reason for this close friendship doesn't just have to do with our shared history, our shared heritage, our ties of language and culture, or even the strong partnership between our governments.

"Our relationship is special because of values and beliefs that have united our people through the ages."

That relationship had seen Britain and America joining forces "from the beaches of Normandy, to the Balkans to Benghazi", said Mr Obama.

He said that the UK and US had a continued responsibility to stand up for freedom, democracy and universal rights.

"If we fail to meet that responsibility, who would take our place and what kind of world would we pass on?" he asked.

"Our action, our leadership, is essential to the cause of human nature so we must act and lead with confidence in our ideals and an abiding faith in the character of our people who sent us all here today."

He also reminded his audience of the UK and US's shared heritage, not least on economic policy, an area where he has a different approach to the British coalition government.

America, Britain and democratic partners had "shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive".

"Even as more nations take on the responsibilities of global leadership, our alliance will remain indispensable to the goal of a century which is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just.

"In an era defined by the rapid flow of commerce and information, it is our free market tradition, our openness, fortified by our commitment of basic security to our citizens, that offers the best chance of prosperity that is both strong and shared."Spare Page