US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that a "pivotal moment" had been reached in world history after a "difficult decade" that made Western leadership as indispensable as ever. In a keynote address to both houses of parliament in London, the president dismissed the notion that the rise of emerging nations, such as China, India and Brazil, automatically signalled a decline in Western influence.
"Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future and the time for our leadership has passed. That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now," he said. Obama Wednesday became the first US president in history to speak in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of London's 900-year-old Westminster Palace, to a high-profile audience of parliamentarians, politicians, churchmen and civic leaders.
Only three foreign dignitaries have been granted the honour since the end of the last world war - former French president Charles de Gaulle, former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. "Today, after a difficult decade that began with war and ended in recession, our nations have arrived at a pivotal moment once more. A global economy that once stood on the brink of depression is now stable and recovering," said Obama.
After years of conflict, the US and Britain had pulled out of Iraq, "broken the momentum" of the Taliban in Afghanistan and dealt a "huge blow" to the al Qaeda terrorist network by killing Osama bin Laden. However, it was exactly because countries like the US and Britain - as in previous world wars - had helped to defeat tyranny and reshaped the world, their leadership remained "indispensable" to a prosperous future.
The keynote speech, billed as an attempt by Obama to stress the importance of US links with Britain and its European allies, came after a day of political talks in London with Prime Minister David Cameron and other party leaders. In a joint news conference, Obama and Cameron vowed to "turn up the heat" on the regime of Colonel Moamer Gaddafi in Libya while reiterating their support for peaceful pro-democracy movements in the Arab world and North Africa.
Obama and Cameron reaffirmed the "special and essential" relations between their two countries, which were based on "shared values and ideals" and were "stronger than ever." Even though they were leaders from different political backgrounds - Obama being a US Democrat and Cameron a British Conservative - they saw "eye to eye" on many issues, said Obama.
Obama and his wife Michelle are currently on a three-day state visit to Britain. After visiting Ireland, Obama will travel to France for a G8 summit and to Poland later in the week. Speaking on Libya, Obama and Cameron reiterated their call on Gaddafi to step down, while also promising to step up the campaign against his forces.