国际英语新闻：Obama, Cameron try to cool down tensions over BP

But the prime minister called on the Obama administration to avoid taking destructive measures against BP, saying: "BP is an important company to both the British and the American economies. Thousands of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic depend on it. So it's in the interest of both our countries, as we agreed, that it remains a strong and stable company for the future."

As to BP's role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Cameron said the decision made by the Scottish government was "completely wrong," but refused to link BP to the case.

"That wasn't a decision taken by BP; it was a decision taken by the Scottish government. We have to accept that under the laws of my country, where power on certain issues is devolved to Scotland, this was a decision for the Scottish Executive, a decision that they took," he said.

The prime minister said he had asked for a review of government documents on the release of the Lockerbie bomber in order to see if more needs to be published, but said he does not want a British inquiry.

"We welcome any additional information that will give us insights and a better understanding of why the decision was made," said Obama, stressing that "the bottom line is, is that we all disagreed with it. It was a bad decision."