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                        Obama: Britain Should Stay in EU

   by Luis Ramirez

   U.S. President Barack Obama has dived into a heated debate over a June
   23 referendum in which British voters will decide whether their country
   will remain in the European Union.

   In a column published in [1]The Telegraph[2] newspaper moments after
   Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport outside London late
   Thursday, the U.S. leader urged Britain to stay in the EU, saying that
   decision will make the country stronger.

   "Ultimately, the question of whether or not the UK remains a part of
   the EU is a matter for British voters to decide for yourselves,"  Obama
   wrote. "The European Union doesn't moderate British influence - it
   magnifies it. A strong Europe is not a threat to Britain's global
   leadership; it enhances Britain's global leadership."

   'Special relationship'
   The United States and Britain have what Washington leaders have long
   described as "a special relationship," and the U.S. sees Britain's
   membership as Washington's voice in the 28-nation grouping.

   "The United States sees how your powerful voice in Europe ensures that
   Europe takes a strong stance in the world, and keeps the EU open,
   outward looking, and closely linked to its allies on the other side of
   the Atlantic. So the U.S. and the world need your outsized influence to
   continue - including within Europe," Obama wrote.

   President Obama's statements drew a sharp rebuke from those who back
   Britain's exit. London Mayor Boris Johnson said U.S. leaders "would
   never contemplate anything like the EU for themselves." Johnson has
   accused the U.S. leadership of hypocrisy on this issue, saying he
   believes Washington would never allow Canada or Mexico, who with the
   United States are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, to
   impose their laws or dictate their policies on U.S. soil.

   Right-wing UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage had even stronger
   words for the U.S. leader, saying he should "butt out."

   Lunch with Queen
   The president will have lunch Friday with Queen Elizabeth, who
   celebrated her birthday a day earlier.

   He is to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron later in the day, where
   in addition to the EU question, the leaders were to discuss their fight
   against the Islamic State group and efforts to stabilize the Middle
   East, and efforts to deal with Europe's refugee crisis.

   Before arriving in London, Obama attended a meeting of the Gulf
   Cooperation Council in Saudi Arabia.
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   [3]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-says-britain-should-stay-in-eu-
   /3298011.html

References

   1. http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/04/21/obama-telegraph-im-friend-want-stay-eu/
   2. http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/04/21/obama-telegraph-im-friend-want-stay-eu/
   3. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-says-britain-should-stay-in-eu-/3298011.html