BP's chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg and "appropriate officials" have been requested to a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama next Wednesday. The request was made by Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. National Incident Commander, in a letter sent directly to Carl-Henric Svanberg on Thursday.

"As part of our ongoing communication, I request that you and any appropriate officials from BP, meet with senior Administration officials on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 to discuss these timely issues. President Obama will participate in a portion of this meeting," the letter reads.

The letter comes as many have been pressing for the Obama administration to meet and speak directly with BP officials including CEO Tony Hayward.

The meeting, if accepted by BP, would be the first time that Obama has met, or talked directly, with BP executives since the April 20th oil rig explosion in the Gulf.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, owned by Transocean and leased by BP, sank April 22 some 52 km off Venice, Louisiana, after burning for roughly 36 hours. The untapped wellhead continues gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The White House has called the spill the biggest environmental disaster that the country has ever faced.