WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obamais receiving regular updates on the situation at an Algerian gasplant, where about 60 foreigners were being held hostage ormissing, a White House spokesman said on Friday.
"We are in constant contact with the government of Algeriaand have been clear that our first priority is the safety andsecurity of the hostages," Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for theWhite House National Security Council, said in a statement.
Vietor said Obama discussed the situation with British PrimeMinister David Cameron on Thursday.
"We are in close touch with our other internationalpartners, as well as BP's security office in London," saidVietor.
An administration official described the situation as"ongoing and sensitive."