A drilling moratorium is a matter of public safety, said President Obama, meeting with families of workers killed in the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion.

It has been reported that the administration has been criticized for imposing the moratorium on some offshore drilling operations, with critics saying it will result in economic losses for related businesses.

BP should compensate companies that have had to lay off workers because of a moratorium, said U. S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

It was looking into ways to force the British energy company to suspend its dividend until its full liability for the oil spill is known, The U. S. Justice Department has said.

The Hill also reported that the president Thursday asked relatives if any of the 11 workers killed in the April 20 explosion had ever expressed concern with safety standards on the rig.

The publication further reported that during the meeting at the White House, Obama said "while offshore drilling is a part of our nation's overall energy strategy, he simply could not go forward with new deepwater drilling until we have the proper safety measures in place to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again."

Adm. Thad Allen, national incident commander, sent a letter to BP executives asking them to attend a meeting with federal officials June 16. The letter indicated Obama would participate in part of the meetings, the White House said on Thursday. (With Inputs from Agencies)