Relaxed in Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Julia Gillard with President Barack Obama at the East Asian Summit dinner. Relaxed in Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Julia Gillard with President Barack Obama at the East Asian Summit dinner. Photo: Reuters
BARACK Obama didn't have any tips for Julia Gillard about winning elections.
''We will set out doing that our own way,'' Ms Gillard said later.
But the Australian Prime Minister joked, laughed and drank wine with the world's most powerful man when they sat together at a gala dinner in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Monday night.
Ms Gillard said she congratulated Mr Obama on his re-election victory less than two weeks ago, while the President congratulated Ms Gillard on Australia winning a seat on the UN Security Council last month.
''I had a wide-ranging discussion with the President,'' Ms Gillard said.
Both wearing batik, Ms Gillard and Mr Obama ate traditional Cambodian food and watched Khmer dancers, obviously enjoying each other's company.
Only a couple of hours earlier Mr Obama had what observers said was a ''tense'' meeting with Cambodian leader Hun Sen, the evening's host.
US officials said Mr Obama conveyed a strong message to Mr Hun about human rights in his country of 60 million people where there have been extra-judicial killings, forced land evictions and journalists have received long jail sentences.

Ms Gillard was photographed clinking glasses with Mr Hun between Mr Obama, who has been travelling without the US first lady.
Looking the odd man out, at times, during the dinner was Ms Gillard's partner, Tim Mathieson, who was also at the top table at the official dinner of the East Asian Summit, a forum of 18 world leaders to discuss security, economic and trade issues.
A week after he revealed he draws Ms Gillard's baths and blow-dries her hair, the Prime Minister on Tuesday was forced to defend him against new questions at home about his role as an official spouse.
Mr Mathieson was accompanied by his son, Kane Mathieson when the Australian delegation paid their respects to Cambodia's late king Norodom Sihanouk, whose body is lying in state at the royal palace on the river front.
''Tim's son came to Cambodia on a private visit. He has been here for some time,'' Ms Gillard told journalists.
''Because Tim is here in Cambodia he is taking the opportunity to catch up with his son,'' she said.
''I want to be clear - he is on a private visit. He did not travel with us. He is in accommodation that is his own.''
Mr Obama was the first sitting US president to visit Cambodia and Burma.