Obama launches media blitz ahead of G20, at home and abroad

Mar 24, 2009, 15:56 GMT

Washington - US President Barack Obama took his economic prescriptions to a global and domestic audience on Tuesday, calling for a broader and urgent global response to the world's worst economic crisis in a generation.

Writing in 31 newspapers around the globe, Obama warned that it was up to world leaders holding an emergency summit in London next week to come up with a comprehensive solution to the global recession.

Back at home, Obama planned to hold the second press conference of his presidency Tuesday night amid growing public anger over the government's bail-out of Wall Street firms considered critical to the survival of the US financial system.

'My message is clear: The United States is ready to lead, and we call upon our partners to join us with a sense of urgency and common purpose,' Obama wrote in the newspaper piece.

Obama's efforts come amid continuing signs of discord between members of the Group of 20 (G20) - a bloc that includes advanced and emerging economies - over how to halt the global economic slide.

The United States and Europe in particular have differed ahead of the G20 summit on April 2 over how much public spending is necessary to revive global demand. Obama called for 'robust and sustained' fiscal stimulus efforts until the global recession comes to an end.

Obama's press conference Tuesday night was likely to be dominated by questions over the administration's handling of the US' ongoing recession and its efforts to stabilize the US financial sector.

The Obama administration has come under fire from lawmakers over the last week after US insurance giant American International Group Inc (AIG) handed out 165 million dollars in bonuses to executives, despite receiving nearly 180 billion dollars in emergency government loans.