Obama invites Rajoy to White House meeting

Mariano Rajoy and Barack Obama now know each other personally. The head of the Spanish government and the president of the United States have spoken on two occasions at the Nuclear Security Summit, currently underway in Seoul. The first meeting took place in the morning, away from the cameras, prompting the Moncloa prime-ministerial office to request a second encounter, in order to get a photo opportunity.

As such, the leaders met for a second time just before one of the summit meetings, chatting for a couple of minutes on their way to the session.

According to Moncloa sources, Obama apparently jokingly apologized for not being able to speak Spanish, saying that his daughters were studying and were going to teach him. “My children study English, and I do too,” Rajoy responded. Obama is reported to have said that he was aware that the two countries’ teams were working very well together. “I’d like you to come and see me soon in the Oval Office, in the White House,” Obama apparently said, adding that they would soon lock down a date.

That first meeting is likely to be in September, when Rajoy is due to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

After his meeting with President Obama, Rajoy was the first speaker at the second session of the summit. The South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, reminded the assembled dignitaries that today is Rajoy’s 57^th birthday, and called on the attendees for applause. “Getting a year older is never good, but not getting a year older is much worse,” joked Rajoy.

During his speech, which lasted around five minutes, the prime minister said that Spain has “a long and bitter experience in the fight against terrorism,” and called on all the countries present to “dedicate resources and efforts” to avoid nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorist groups.