Toronto: US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron said they share the goal of sustaining economic growth even as they differ on how quickly to address deficits.
Obama, holding his first one-on-one meeting with Cameron since the UK leader took office last month, said the two countries may take "differentiated responses" to reducing fiscal stimulus to keep the recovery going.
"But we are aiming at the same direction, which is long-term, sustainable growth that puts people to work," Obama said in Toronto where he and Cameron are attending the Group of 20 summit meeting.
Both leaders also said the war in Afghanistan is at a critical stage and reaffirmed their commitment to the strategy Obama has in place.
Leading up to the G20 meetings, Obama urged the other nations against withdrawing stimulus measures too fast. Cameron has proposed Britain's biggest round of budget cuts since the Second World War to reduce a deficit worth 11 per cent of gross domestic product, the largest in the G20.
By comparison, the US deficit this year is forecast to be 10.6 per cent of GDP.
"We're aiming at the same target which is world growth and stability, but it means those countries that have big deficit problems like ours have to take action," Cameron said after he and Obama met. Both countries have "long-term debts that have to be dealt with," Obama said.
Obama said the two allies are entering a "critical" period in the fight to stabilise Afghanistan.
‘Right strategy'
"We are convinced that we have the right strategy to provide the time and the space for the Afghan government to build up capacity over the next several months and years," Obama said.
Obama June 23 removed General Stanley McChrystal as the US commander in Afghanistan over a magazine article that quoted him and unnamed members of his staff disparaging other administration officials. He was replaced by General David Petraeus, head of the US Central Command. Petraeus led a surge of American troops in Iraq that helped defeat an insurgency there.
Cameron was the first leader Obama is meeting with separately while at the G20 summit, which administration officials said was meant to underscore the special relationship between the two countries.
Cameron is scheduled to visit Washington on July 20 for meetings with the US president. The two also settled up on a bet on the US-England match at soccer's World Cup. Since the game ended in a tie, Obama and Cameron exchanged samples of craft-brewed beers.
