Obama, Sarko Oppose Nuclear Iran, New Israeli Settlements

Barack Obama and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, stood together today on thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and furthering a Mideast peace that provides for separate Israeli and Palestinian states. "We want peace. We want dialogue. We want to help them develop. But we do not want military nuclear weapons to spread," said Sarkozy of Iran, adding that he worries about "insane statements" from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Obama, in turn, reaffirmed the need for "tough diplomacy," and said he wanted to get Russia more involved on the issue. Sarkozy also agreed with Obama's call for Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank, and said his country would take some detainees currently held at the Guantanamo Bay. The leaders met in Normandy, where they will commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Their wives—dueling style icons—were to meet separately.
(More Barack Obama stories.)