Barack Obama: Gulf oil spill battle close to coming to end

US president Barack Obama said yesterday the battle to stop the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was finally near an end, as he responded to a spate of positive news on the issue.

Obama hailed as "welcome news" that BP's efforts to plug the leaking well for good appeared to be working, and he also welcomed a report from US scientists that most of the spilled crude had been skimmed, had broken up or was disappearing from the Gulf's waters.

"The long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end," Obama said at the start of a speech to the AFL-CIO union federation in Washington.

But he insisted the government would continue to hold "accountable" those responsible for the worst oil spill in US history, and make sure cleanup and recovery work was carried to fruition.