WASHINGTON, Shawwal 08, 1436, July 24, 2015, SPA -- U.S. President Barack Obama told the BBC in an interview excerpt that aired on Thursday that Britain must remain in the European Union to maintain its global influence, according to Reuters. Britain's EU membership "gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union," Obama said, adding the EU had "made the world safer and more prosperous." British Prime Minister David Cameron, seeking to end a decades-old rift within his Conservative Party over Britain's place in Europe, has promised to negotiate a new settlement with Brussels and hold a referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017. --SPA 01:56 LOCAL TIME 22:56 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w