Obama warns of long-term effect of oil spill

The disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not only having its immediate impact on the economy of the region, but it will also have a long-term effect on the way of life that has been passed for generations, US President Barack Obama has said.

"There's a sense that this disaster is not only threatening our fishermen and our shrimpers and our oystermen, not only affecting potentially precious marshes and wetlands and estuaries and waters that are part of what makes the Gulf Coast so special -- there's also a fear that it can have a long-term impact on a way of life that has been passed on for generations," Obama said.

"I understand that fear," Obama said in his speech in Alabama during his fourth trip to the region in the aftermath of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is having a disastrous impact on the economy and the environment of the region.

Obama also announced a comprehensive, coordinated, and multi-agency initiative to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat. "We want to make sure that the food industry down here as much as possible is getting the protection and the certification that they need to continue their businesses," he said.

Asserting that the full resources of the government is being mobilised to contain this disaster, the President said he has authorised the deployment of 17,500 National Guardsmen and women to assist in the response effort.

"Across the Gulf Coast, Guardsmen are supporting local, state and federal authorities in a number of ways, from reconnaissance to hazardous material training. Guard aircraft are also assisting in the response and helping to coordinate the vessels that are out on the water," he said.

Obama is scheduled to meet the BP chairman and a number of officials on Wednesday. "We have begun preliminary conversations about how do we structure a mechanism so that the legitimate claims that are going to be presented not just tomorrow, not just next week, but over the coming months, are dealt with justly, fairly, promptly," he said.

"So far, we've had a constructive conversation and my hope is, is that by the time the chairman and I meet on Wednesday, that we've made sufficient progress that we can start actually seeing a structure that would be in place. But it's too early now at this point, Major, for me to make an announcement. By Wednesday, though, my hope is, is that we've made some progress on this front," the US President said.