Barack Obama admits US guilt for oil spill

US: US President Barack Obama took responsibility for the U.S. response for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in his Thursday speech and extended for six months a moratorium on offshore drilling.

Obama called the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico an ‘unprecedented disaster’ and said the federal government is fully in charge of the response.

And that he is extending a moratorium on deepwater offshore oil drilling permits, delaying planned drilling in the Arctic off Alaska and cancelled a plan to explore for oil and gas off the coast of Virginia.

Being under pressure to demonstrate the government is doing everything possible to get the leak from a British Petroleum platform well plugged and refrain environmental damage, Obama said federal officials are overseeing all aspects of the work.

At a White House news conference, he said: “Every key decision and action that BP and their officials take must be approved by us in advance.

Washington, Prensa Latina