US President Barack Obama told British Prime Minister David Cameron that BP must pay "tens of thousands" of economic claims for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a senior administration official said.
The official also said Obama made clear in a call with the British leader on Saturday that US frustration with the London-based company had nothing to do with national identity, "but has to do with ensuring that a large, wealthy company lives up to its obligations."
The official's comments went further than an official White House statement released after the call.
"(Obama) said BP must meet its obligations to those whose lives have been disrupted and we will insist everything be done to cap the well, capture the oil, and pay for the cleanup, the environmental damage done and the tens of thousands of economic claims as a result of this disaster," the official said. - Reuters