Obama to focus on euro woes at G20 summit

WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP): President Barack Obama, drained by a long showdown with domestic foes and the sluggish US recovery, heads to Europe tomorrow (Wednesday) to urge leaders to stay steadfast amid their own economic woes. At the G20 summit beginning in the swish surroundings of Cannes, southern France Thursday, Obama will test whether his own diminished political heft at home will weaken his economic leverage abroad as he girds for reelection. Obama has pressed behind the scenes for a strong European response to a regional debt crisis which threatens to spiral into global financial contagion, and despite some market doubts, welcomed an EU debt accord last week. Lael Brainard, Treasury Department undersecretary for International Affairs, said Obama still believed Europe had the capacity and resources to overcome its economic woes.