WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull traded compliments and declarations of enduring "mateship" at the White House Friday, striving to put an ill-tempered first phone call behind them. Both sang the praises of a more than century old relationship, with Trump picking up his guest's reference to 100 years of US-Australian "mateship -- a term that you used very beautifully, Mr prime minister." Trump suggested he wanted to visit Australia soon and said it was "an honor to have Prime Minister Turnbull, Mrs Turnbull -- friends of mine and friends of Melania's for actually quite some time." Diplomats -- and even a mutual friend, golfer Greg Norman, who was at the White House on Friday -- rushed to repair the damage. During his time in Washington, his deputy prime minister resigned after successive scandals over sexual harassment, his citizenship and a threat to euthanize dogs belonging to Hollywood actor Johnny Depp.

Source: Bangkok Post February 23, 2018 22:07 UTC