US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron started a day of political discussions Wednesday on issues ranging from Libya to Afghanistan and support for the democracy movements in the Arab world, DPA reported.
Later Wednesday, the second day of his state visit, Obama was due to adress both houses of the British parliament in Westminster Hall - becoming the first US president in history to be granted that honour.
The speech is expected to give an "optimistic" view of future US and western foreign policy following a decade dominated by the fight against al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism, officials said.
But in more concrete terms, Cameron will seek to illicit greater long-term commitment from Obama on the conflict in Libya, while Obama will want to question Cameron on his plans for the eventual withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.
At a banquet at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, both Obama and Queen Elizabeth II hailed the continuing "special" relationship between Britain and the US.
However, Cameron and Obama have recoined that phrase, giving it a more practical meaning by describing mutual ties as "essential" for in the bilataeral and international context.