With the French president at his side, US President Barack Obama declared on Tuesday he hoped to have international sanctions against Iran in place “within weeks,” not months, because of its continuing nuclear program. He acknowledged he still lacks full support at the UN.
“Do we have unanimity in the international community? Not yet,” Obama said. “And that’s something that we have to work on.”
Obama said he and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were “inseparable” in their thinking on the subject.
PHOTO: AFP
Sarkozy told reporters: “Iran cannot continue its mad race” toward acquiring nuclear weapons.
“The time has come to take decisions,” Sarkozy said.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
On the UN Security Council, veto-holding permanent members Russia and China have expressed reservations toward a tougher set of sanctions, as have several of the rotating members who do not have veto powers.
Obama said he understands that countries that have business ties with Iran, especially those who depend on it for oil, might have reservations.
Still, Obama said that, while “the door remains open if the Iranians choose to walk though it,” there have been no signs that they are close to moving back from their nuclear program, and patience has all but run out.
“My hope is that we are going to get this done this spring. So I’m not interested in waiting months for a sanctions regime to be in place. I’m interested in seeing that regime in place in weeks,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said new sanctions would likely be forthcoming, hinting that skeptical nations such as China and Russia eventually would come along. At the conclusion of an international meeting of eight major powers in Quebec, Clinton cited a growing alarm around the world about the consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran.
A senior French official said after the White House meeting that major Western players, including France, are ready to consider unilateral sanctions if they cannot get a strong enough UN resolution passed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the French president’s office rules.
Obama said he and the French president discussed a wide range of global issues, including the financial regulatory overhaul and peace negotiations in the Middle East.
On a touchy subject, Sarkozy was asked about a European contention that a US$35 billion contract to build refueling tankers for the US Air Force was rigged to favor US aerospace giant Boeing Co over an alliance of the parent of Europe’s Airbus — EADS — and the US company Northrop Grumman. EADS and Northrop Grumman withdrew from the bidding last month.
Sarkozy said he trusted Obama’s assurance that any new bidding would be “free, fair and transparent” and said that under those conditions, EADS would bid on the contract.
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