Paris - US President Barack Obama Saturday praised the
Allied soldiers who gave their lives in World War II, and called the
conflict a universal struggle against evil.
'We live in a world of competing beliefs and claims about what is
true,' Obama said at ceremonies in northern France commemorating the
65th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
'In such a world, it is rare for a struggle to emerge that speaks
to something universal about humanity. The Second World War did
that.'
The war against Adolf Hitler and the Nazis was 'essential' because
it was a battle against a competing vision of humanity,' the US
president said. 'Nazi ideology sought to subjugate, humiliate, and
exterminate ... It was evil.'
Obama spoke at the US cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in the
presence of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown, Britain's Prince Charles and the prime minister of
Canada, Stephen Harper, as well as some 1,500 World War II veterans.
The event was held to honour the Allied soldiers who died in
the June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy, which marked the beginning of
the end of the war.
Also present at the ceremonies, Obama said, was his great-uncle,
Charles Payne, who was part of the first US army division to liberate
a Nazi concentration camp. Obama's grandfather, Stanley Dunham,
landed on Normandy six weeks after D-Day, he said.
Earlier Saturday, Obama and Sarkozy held talks in the nearby
regional capital of Caen, with the US president again warning Iran
not to pursue the development of nuclear weapons.
'Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would be profoundly
dangerous ... for the entire world,' Obama told journalists after the
talks.
Other countries in the Middle East would then be moved to develop
nuclear weapons as well, Obama warned, adding: 'We can't afford a
nuclear arms race in the Middle East.'
'The United States and France are together on this issue,' Sarkozy
said. 'We do not want nuclear proliferation.'
The discussions touched on a broad array on subjects, including
Afghanistan, the Middle East and relations with Russia.
Sarkozy said that 'never in the history of our two countries have
the United States and France been so close on major issues,'
including how to resolve the crisis in the Middle East.
'I told Obama how much we agree with him on the issue on Israel
and Palestine - two states living side by side,' Sarkozy said.
Obama said that progress in the conflict 'would mean the parties
are ... in serious negotiations to achieve a two-state solution.'
Obama also noted that it was in Israel's interest 'to resolve (the
crisis) in a peaceful way,' and he called on the Palestinians 'to
renounce violence and incitement.'
However, the two leaders did not agree on everything. Responding
to a journalist's question, Obama reiterated his belief that Turkey
should be allowed to join the European Union, which Sarkozy opposes.
'I think Turkey is an enormously important ally. They are
interested in further integration in Europe. I would encourage that,'
Obama said.
Sarkozy responded by saying that his and Obama's objectives
regarding Ankara were the same - that Turkey should play an important
role in linking East and West.
'But we differ on how,' he said.
The French president proposed the creation of 'an economic and
security area' that would include Europe, Russia and Turkey.
'But, please, don't begrudge us a difference of opinion on one
issue,' Sarkozy then quipped.
Obama was welcomed to Caen by several thousand cheering,
flag-waving spectators. He responded by wading into the crowd,
shaking hands and speaking with well-wishers, before he and Sarkozy
and their wives entered the Caen prefecture for the talks and lunch.
Later Saturday, the Obamas and their two daughters, Malia and
Sasha, are scheduled to visit Notre Dame Cathedral and then dine
together at a Paris restaurant.
The US president is scheduled to return home on Sunday while his
wife and children spend one more day in the French capital.
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