Differences between G-20 leaders overstated: Obama

London, Apr.1 (ANI): Barack Obama says the differences in opinion between world leaders attending G20 have been "vastly overstated".

At a joint news conference with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he said: "I am absolutely confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work in concert to deal with these problems I think that the separation between the various parties involved has been vastly overstated."

It follows comments from the French President that he is unhappy with the measures "on the table" for the summit.

Sarkozy has put the cat among the pigeons

Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will "walk away" from the meeting if he cannot get an agreement on international financial regulation.

But President Obama said: "I understand that when you have a bunch of heads of state talking, it is not usually that interesting, the communiques are written in dry language, and so there is a great desire to inject some conflict into the occasion.

"But the truth of the matter is, I think that there has been an extraordinary convergence of opinion."

Gordon Brown also played down the differences.

"Let me add that I am confident that Nicolas Sarkozy were not only be here for the first dinner but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this evening," he said.

"We are within a few hours of agreeing a global plan for economic recovery and reform," he added.

Asked if he was disappointed that other countries were less than enthusiastic about another fiscal stimulus, President Obama said America alone "could not be the engine" to drive the world's economic recovery.

"Everybody is going to have to pick up the pace," he added.

"I think that there is a recognition based on the conversations I have had with leaders around the world that that is important," Sky News quoted him, as saying. (ANI)