Obama, Hollande Talk Afghanistan, Eurozone Crisis
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JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages(WASHINGTON) — In his first meeting with President Obama, newly minted French President Francois Hollande stood by his campaign pledge to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
“I reminded President Obama that I made a promise to the French people to the effect that our combat troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2012. That being said, we will continue to support Afghanistan in a different way,” Hollande told reporters. Obama welcomed his French counterpart to the White House ahead of the G-8 and NATO summits this weekend.
The new president expressed confidence that France could “find the right means” to “continue and comply” with its international obligations in Afghanistan.
Obama, who plans to remove U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, said they agreed that “even as we transition out of a combat phase in Afghanistan that it’s important that we sustain our commitment to helping Afghans build security and continue down the path of development.”
Much of Friday’s discussion also centered on the debt crisis in Europe, which both leaders agreed is “an issue of extraordinary important not only to the people of Europe, but also to the world economy,” Obama said.
“We’re looking forward to a fruitful discussion later this evening and tomorrow with the other G-8 leaders about how we can manage a responsible approach to fiscal consolidation that is coupled with a strong growth agenda,” Obama said.
Hollande shared the same view “that Greece must stay in the eurozone and that all of us must do what we can to that effect. There will be elections in Greece, and we wanted to send a message to that effect to the Greek people,” he said.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio