OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the economy and the auto industry during their first telephone chat since America's commander-in-chief was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Obama phoned Harper early Friday, along with the leaders of two other close U.S. allies -- Britain and Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister's Office says Harper congratulated Obama on his inauguration before the two got down to business.

They discussed the agenda for Obama's upcoming trip to Canada -- his first international foray as president -- as well as energy, the environment and the war in Afghanistan.

Canada is the largest supplier of foreign energy to the United States and the Harper government is hoping to mesh its environmental policies to those of the new U.S. president.

Obama also called British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Saudi King Abdullah on Friday. He'd already spoken with Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders earlier this week about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Also Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon spoke by phone with his new U.S. counterpart, Hillary Clinton.