JOIN US"I completely understand the anger that exists right across America. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a catastrophe for the environment, for the fishing industry, for tourism. I've been absolutely clear about that," Cameron said a joint media availability with US President Barack Obama at the White House.
"Like President Obama, I've also been clear that it is BP's role to cap the leak, to clean up the mess and to pay appropriate compensation. I'm in regular touch with senior management at BP, and the president is too, to make sure that happens. The progress that's being made to cap the leak is a step in the right direction," he said.
Equally of course, BP is an important company to both the British and the American economies. Thousands of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic depend on it. So it's in the interest of both our countries, as we agreed, that it remains a strong and stable company for the future. And that's something we discussed today, Cameron said.
"I'm very keen that we are clear here that, you know, BP should rightly be blamed for what has happened in the Gulf and have real responsibilities to cap the well, to clean up the spill, to pay compensation -- all of which they are getting on with, including putting aside the 20 billion dollars in the escrow account. I think they've made good progress on that, and further progress needs to be made," he said.