Washington - Senators Barack Obama and John McCain sought to claim the high ground Friday by accusing each other of stamping out debates in the run-up to the US presidential elections in November.

Both campaigns issued statements complaining that the other side had rejected offers for an unprecedented series of joint townhall meetings and traditional debates between the two candidates.

McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, had originally pushed for 10 townhall meetings between June and August, an offer widely seen as an effort to counter Democrat Obama's likely advantage in raising campaign funds.

McCain's campaign repeated the offer Friday, promising to keep a spot open in the candidates schedule every Thursday until August, and hoping Obama would "reconsider his position and agree to join Senator McCain as early as next week."

Obama's camp has countered with an offer of two townhall meetings between now and November to go along with the three presidential debates traditionally held after the parties' nominating conventions in August and September.

"Its disappointing that Senator McCain and his campaign decided to decline this proposal," said campaign manager David Plouffe. "Apparently they would rather contrive a political issue than foster a genuine discussion about the future of our country."

The debate over debates continues. (dpa)