Obama, Hollande discuss Syria, Iran

US President Barack Obama met Tuesday at the White House with French President Francois Hollande during which they discussed several regional issues, including Syria and Iran. During a joint press conference, Obama praised France for its "determination to meet its responsibilities as a global leader," saying "from Mali and the Central African Republic to Syria and Iran, you've shown courage and resolve, and I want to thank you for your leadership and for being such a strong partner to the United States." He added "we're standing shoulder to shoulder on the key challenges to global security. Our unity with our P-5 plus one partners, backed with strong sanctions, has succeeded in halting and rolling back key parts of the Iranian nuclear program. "President Hollande and I agree on the need to continue enforcing existing sanctions even as we believe that new sanctions during these negotiations would endanger the possibility of a diplomatic solution. And we remain absolutely united on our ultimate goal, which is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he affirmed. He reiterated that "even during this interim agreement, we will fully enforce all applicable sanctions," shedding light on the steps taken recently "to identify companies that we felt were violating those sanctions and have been very clear to the Iranians that there is not going to be any let-up. "So businesses may be exploring are there some possibilities to get in sooner rather than later if and when there is a actual agreement to be had, but I can tell you that they do so at their own peril right now because we will come down on them like a ton of bricks with respect to the sanctions that we control, and we expect full compliance with respect to the P-5 plus one during this interim," he stressed. He added "we don't want new sanctions because the ones we have in place are already squeezing around and brought them to the table, but we also want to send a message to the Iranians that if they don't resolve this broader issue of their nuclear program, that there will be consequences and that the sanctions regime not only will stay in place but will likely be tightened in the event that these talks fail." On Syria, Obama affirmed "just as our unity on Syria and the credible threat of force led to a plan for destroying Syria's chemical weapons, we're united on what needs to happen next there. "Syria must meet its commitments, and Russia has a responsibility to ensure that Syria complies," he stressed. He noted that as talks continue in Geneva, "we'll continue to strengthen the moderate opposition, and we call on the international community to stem the flow of foreign fighters into Syria." He added this week "we're working with our Security Council partners to call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and to ensure humanitarian aid workers have unimpeded access to Syrians in need. And we'll continue to work with France and others to bolster our partners in the region, including Lebanon." Obama stressed "we still have a horrendous situation on the ground in Syria ... And what is absolutely clear is that with each passing day, more people inside of Syria are suffering. The state of Syria itself is crumbling. That is bad for Syria. It is bad for the region. It is bad for global national security. "We are going to continue to commit to not just pressure the Assad regime but also to get countries like Russia and Iran to recognize that it is in nobody's interest to see the continuing bloodshed and collapse that's taking place inside that country," he remarked. Obama also shed light on the Mideast Peace Process, saying "as Israelis and Palestinians move forward with talks, we agree that France and the European Union will have an important role in supporting a final agreement." Meanwhile, Obama announced that he has accepted an invitation from the French President and will travel to France in June to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, saying "I'm looking forward to returning to honor our remarkable veterans and to reaffirm this extraordinary alliance." For his part, Hollande talked about the NSA surveillance program, affirming that following the revelations that appeared by Edward Snowden "we clarified things. President Obama and myself clarified things. Then this was in the past. " He added "then we endeavored towards cooperation. We wanted to fight against terrorism, but we also wanted to meet a number of principles. And we are making headway in this cooperation. "Mutual trust has been restored, and that mutual trust must be based on respect for each other's country but also based on protection, protection of private life, of personal data, the fact that any individual, in spite of technological progress, can be sure that he's not being spied on. These are principles that unite us," he emphasized. Earlier today, Hollande said during the state visit arrival ceremony at the White House "we stand together with the United States to address the threats of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons, together to solve the crises faced by the Middle East, together to support Africa's development, and together to fight global warming and climate change.