Obama defends foreign tour as visit closes

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, wrapping up a tour abroad where he got a rock star reception, defended on Saturday his decision to take the trip despite signs it has not helped to boost his popularity at home.

"I am convinced that many of the issues we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad," he told reporters in London after meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"This was important for me not only to try to highlight or amplify how the international situation affects our economy back home but also hopefully to give people at home but also leaders abroad some sense of where an Obama administration might take our foreign policy."

Obama said he had a "terrific conversation" with Brown on a range of topics including the Middle East, climate change, terrorism and financial markets.

The two men chatted on the patio of 10 Downing Street and took a brief walk together in a tourist area nearby.

On earlier legs of his trip, Obama drew a crowd of 200,000 people in Berlin and elicited effusive praise from French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

But the reaction from U.S. voters, whom Obama acknowledges are worried about gas prices and home foreclosures, has been mixed.

"I'm not sure that there's going to be some immediate political impact," he said. "I wouldn't even be surprised that in some polls you saw a little bit of a dip as a consequence -- we've been out of the country for a week."

PROTOCOL RESPECTED

Earlier Obama had breakfast with Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Their talks focused on the Middle East and climate change, Blair's office said in a statement.

Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in the November 4 U.S. election, aims to burnish his foreign policy credentials through his overseas trip and counter McCain's criticism that he lacks experience.

Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war accounts for part of his appeal with the European public. He has called for a refocusing of U.S. efforts on Afghanistan and an end to the Iraq war. He also wants Europe to contribute more in Afghanistan.

Brown followed protocol to ensure he did not appear to be favouring a particular candidate in the race between Obama and McCain.

There was no handshake between Brown and Obama at the front door of Downing Street, as would take place with a visiting head of government, and did not hold a joint news conference.

Obama was later to meet opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron, whose party enjoys a strong lead over Brown's Labour Party in opinion polls.