Obama Says U.S., France Resolve to ‘Finish the Job’ They Began in Libya

31 May 2011 | 15:04 Code : 13295 Latest Headlines

Bloomberg--President Barack Obama said he and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed to “finish the job” in Libya, where Muammar Qaddafiremains in power “directing his forces in acts of aggression against the Libyan people.”

“We are joined in resolve,” and making progress in the NATO campaign against Qaddafi’s regime, Obama told reporters at the Group of Eight summit in Deauville, France, after talks with Sarkozy today.

Both leaders said they had a convergence of views on many issues, including the urgency of the Middle East peace process. Sarkozy called Obama’s speech last week, in which he said the template for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians should use the 1967 borders as a starting point in peace talks, “clear-sighted and bold.”

Obama’s proposal stirred criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some Republicans in the U.S.

Obama said the uprisings that have toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and inspired pro-democracy protests across the region, including in Yemen and Syria, have made “the pursuit of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians more urgent, not less.”

The three-month fight between troops loyal toQaddafi and those opposed to his four-decade rule has cut the country’s oil exports and spawned a North Atlantic Treaty Organization air campaign against pro-government forces. The U.S. is continuing to provide support for the NATO-led operations after taking part in the initial airstrikes.

After the G-8 summit ends later today, Obama travels to Poland, the last leg of his six-day European trip.