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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Secretary Kerry Meetsw with French Officials; Obama-Cameron Meeting Examined; President Obama and UK PM David Cameron Begin News Conference

Aired January 16, 2015 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that certainly caused this country to raise, not only to terrorism alert but also, of course, its safety posture for the police itself, have to no longer allow to walk the streets alone, they have to be in groups of several people. They always have to wear bulletproof vest. They have to take their weapons with them, even when they're off duty.

And the other thing that's happened here, is that there's a general raise in the security posture, as well. There are troops that are, for the first time, going to be deployed in Belgium at all. Normally it's illegal to have troops -- Belgium troops operate inside the country. Thirty of them are going to be deployed tomorrow to guard Jewish institutions in the town of (inaudible), Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Fred Pleitgen standby. We just saw the British delegation. The aides to David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, walk in to the East Room of the White House. The U.S. delegation will be walking in shortly, we'll have the news conference that is expected to begin momentarily.

Hala Gorani, our anchor, is in Paris for us right now. What's been going on there? We know the Secretary of State of the United States, John Kerry, he's been meeting with French officials. What's the latest over there, Hala?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL LONDON-BASED ANCHOR: Well, it was a diplomatic sort of "I'm sorry" visit, where he met with everybody at the top levels of the executive, here, the French president, his counterpart, Laurent Fabius. They both visited the sites of the attacks last week, the supermarket in East Paris as well as Charlie Hebdo headquarters.

He laid a wreath with the United States of America written on it. And he spoke both in English and in French. He's making sure the message gets through, that the United States stands by France in its difficult moment, sending a big "hug" to France as well.

And when he was meeting with Francois Hollande, he hugged him and gave him a kiss on each kiss, so therefore, really, just underlining the fact that relations are intact and that this visit is warm and friendly, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Hala, I want you to stand by as well. We're moments away from the president of the United States, the prime minister of Great Britain. They're going to be walking into the east room of the White House to hold this joint news conference. We'll have special coverage right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around world. You're looking live pictures from the east room of the White House here in Washington D.C. The president of United States, the prime minister of Britain, they're going to be holding a joint news conference. I'm Wolf Blitzer.

In Washington, let's go right to the White House. Our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is inside the east room. There'll be two American reporters, who will be allowed to ask questions to British reporters, who will be allowed to ask questions. Are the delegations now seated? Does everyone in place getting ready for the president and the prime minister as far as you know right now?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we don't have the full U.S. delegations seated at this point but we do have the British diplomatic delegation. They are seated and ready to go. I just saw the British Ambassador of the U.S., Peter Westmacott, walk in into the east room just a few moments ago.

And as he walk in, all of our inbox we're being hit with an e-mail from the White House confirming what we've talk about earlier this new cyber cooperation efforts that are going to be underway between the U.S. and the U.K. We can even add that in at the very end of that e- mail it's mentioned that the folks over at Cambridge in the U.K. have invited the people at MIT to sort of get involve in a sort of hacking competition where they try to I guess defeat each other cyber defenses. That maybe something that's coming. So part of this, this cooperative effort they'll be announcing here in just a couple of minutes.

But beyond that, Wolf, there's a much more serious matters that will be discussed here. One thing that we did here from the British Prime Minister, is he was flying in and recorded a YouTube video and twitted it out yesterday, talking about what he call the Islamist terror threat that exist in Europe right now.

And it was interesting to hear that verbiage, Wolf, because during this week, one of the questions that this White House has been faced with is, is just how seriously they view that threat and how they view that threat.

It was announced here at the White House that they will be holding a countering violent extremism summit. And questions were ask, Wolf, why not -- why is this countering violent extremism summit not being described as an Islamist terrorist extremism summit.

And so, some internal differences between these two leaders I think will be something that we'll all be listening for here in just a few moments, Wolf.

BLITZER: (inaudible) the President and Prime Minister, they're about to walk in. There, we see Susan Rice of the National Security Advisor, another top U.S. official. They are now in place. They're getting ready for the President and he will be introduced together with the British Prime Minister. These words are important, Jake Tapper, whether they use the sensitive words or not, aren't they?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. And I think a lot of the questions about how the west confronts the threat of Islamic terrorism going forward. It speaks a lot about how much they're diplomatically sensitive to Muslim countries.

BLITZER: It looks like they're getting ready. The aids are bringing in -- I guess they're bringing in some stuff for the President and for the Prime Minister where they've got, you know, microphone certainly ready to go. Jake as we wait for the President and Prime Minister, I want to just point out that this is one of those moments where the U.S-British alliance is really underlined.

TAPPER: The special relationship as it's referred to, obviously France is, you know, this nation's oldest ally but many people say that the United States and U.K. have the closest relationship.

BLITZER: Here they come.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Please have a seat.

Good afternoon, everybody.

This month marks a notable anniversary, 200 years since the Battle of New Orleans. Here in America we call it a great victory over a mighty United Kingdom. Our British friends call it a technicality; the treaty ending the war was signed weeks before.

Either way, we've long since made up. On this 200th anniversary of a great American victory, we count the United Kingdom as one of our greatest friends and strongest allies, and today, it's a great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister David Cameron back to the White House.

Now, as many of you know, David recently noted how comfortable the two of us are working together. This sent some commentators into a tizzy.

Some explored the linguistic origins of the word "bro." Others debated its definition. Several analyzed how this term has evolved over time. Some seemed confused and -- and asked, "What does Obama mean"?

And -- and so let me put this speculation to rest. Put simply, David is a great friend. He's one of my closest and most trusted partners in the world. On many of the most pressing challenges that we face, we see the world the same way.

We recognize that, as I've said before, when the United States and the United Kingdom stand together, our nations are more secure and our people are more prosperous and the world is safer and more just.

Great Britain is our indispensable partner, and David has been personally an outstanding partner, and I thank you for your friendship.

With both of our economies growing and unemployment falling, we used our working dinner last night to discuss how we can help create more jobs for our people.

We believe that this needs to be the year when the United States and the European Union make real progress toward the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and we share the view that boosting demand in Europe can also keep our economies growing.

As innovative economies in this information age, we're expanding our collaboration on digital technologies to improve how our governments serve our citizens and businesses.

Given the urgent and growing danger of cyberthreats, we decided to expand our cooperation on cybersecurity to protect our critical infrastructure, our businesses and the privacy of our people. And as leaders in the global fight against climate change, we believe that a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gasses will be an essential element of any ambitious climate agreement that we seek in Paris this year, and that this actually will help spur the creation of more clean energy jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

With regard to security, American-British unity is enabling us to meet challenges in Europe and beyond. We agree on the need to maintain strong sanctions against Russia until it ends its aggression in Ukraine and on the need to support Ukraine as it implements important economic and democratic reforms.

We agree that the international community needs to remain united as we seek a comprehensive, diplomatic solution to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons. And I'd add that additional sanctions on Iran at this time would undermine that international unity and set back our chances for a diplomatic solution.

And as the two leading contributors to the global response to Ebola in West Africa, we urge the world to continue stepping up with the resources that are required so that we don't simply stop this disease, we do more to prevent future epidemics.

Now, much of our discussion, obviously, focused on the continuing threat of terrorism, and in the wake of the vicious attacks in Paris as well as the news surfacing out of Belgium today, we continue to stand unequivocally not only with our French friends and allies, but with also all of our partners who are dealing with this scourge.

I know David joins me when I say that we will continue to do everything in our power to help France seek the justice that is needed, and that all our countries are working together seamlessly to prevent attacks and to defeat these terrorist networks.

With our combat mission in Afghanistan over, we're also focused with our NATO allies on advising and assisting and equipping Afghan forces to secure their own country and to deny Al Qaida any safe haven there. We'll continue to count on our British allies are our -- one of our strongest counterterrorism partners, whether it's helping countries fight back against Al Qaida affiliates or Boko Haram in Nigeria.

We reviewed our coalition's progress against ISIL. We are systematically taking out their fighters. We're destroying their infrastructure. We are putting them on the defensive and helping local forces in Iraq push these terrorists back.

And David and I agree that we need to keep stepping up the training of Iraqi forces, and that we're not going to relent until this terrorist organization is destroyed.

Now, the Paris attacks also underscored again how terrorist groups like Al Qaida and ISIL are actively trying to inspire and support people within our own countries to engage in terrorism. I led a special session of the United Nations Security Council last fall to rally the world to meet the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, including coming from Syria. David and the United Kingdom continue to be strong partners in this work, including sharing intelligence and strengthening border security.

At the same time, we both recognize that intelligence and military force alone is not going to solve this problem, so we're also going to keep working together on strategies to counter violent extremism that radicalizes recruits and mobilizes people, especially young people, to engage in terrorism. And local communities, families, neighbors, faith leaders have a vital role to play in that effort.

We also look forward to welcoming our British friends to our summit next month on countering violent terrorism, because whether in Europe or in America, a critical weapon against terrorism is our adherence to our freedoms and values at home, including the pluralism and the respect and tolerance that defines us as diverse and democratic societies.

And finally, I want to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate David on last month's Stormont House Agreement. It's a tribute to the courage and determination of everyone involved: especially the leaders of Northern Ireland, as well as the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The United States was pleased to play a small role in achieving this agreement, and we're going to keep doing what we need to do to support the peace process and a better future for the people of Northern Ireland.

So with that, let me turn it over to my good friend, David Cameron.

DAVID CAMERON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much, Barack, and thank you for welcoming me again to the White House.

You are a great friend to Britain and to me personally. As leaders, we share the same values, and as you said, on so many issues we see the world in the same way. And most of the time, we speak the same language.

(LAUGHTER)

In the last six years since you became president and in the nearly five since I've been prime minister, we've faced some big issues on our watch. And those challenges have boiled down to one word: security. Economic security, the jobs and the living standards of our citizens, and national security, the ability of our peoples to live safely and in peace.

At the heart of both issues are the values that our countries cherish: freedom of expression, the rule of law, and our democratic institutions. Those are the things that make both of our countries strong, and which give us confidence that even in the midst of the most violent storms, with strong leadership, we will come through to safer, to calmer, and to brighter days.

During your presidency, you've had to deal with the aftermath of a massive banking crisis and a deep recession. When I became prime minister, Britain had the highest budget deficit in its peacetime history. Our economy was in grave peril.

Five years ago, we had 110,000 troops serving together in Afghanistan. Thanks to their efforts, today it is Afghan forces taking responsibility for security in their country.

But we continue to face difficult times for the world. First and foremost, we have to deal with the warning lights flashing in the global economy. Weak growth in the euro zone. A slowdown in emerging markets. That is why it is vital for our shared prosperity that we both stick to the long-term economic plans that we've set out.

We agreed that 2015 should be a pivotal year for an ambitious and comprehensive E.U.-U.S. trade deal, which could benefit the average household in Britain by 400 pounds a year.

The U.K. is now the top destination for American and foreign investment, with 500 projects last year providing 32,000 jobs. And America is the U.K.'s biggest trade partner, with exports worth nearly 19 billion pounds.

We want to build on this. So our message on the economy today is simple: We are gonna stick to the course, because seeing through our economic plans is the only sustainable way to create jobs, to raise living standards and to secure a better future for hardworking people.

And Britain and America both face threats to our national security from people who hate what our countries stand for and who are determined to do us harm.

In recent weeks we've seen appalling attacks in Paris, in Peshawar, in Nigeria. The world is sickened by this terrorism, so we will not be standing alone in this fight.

We know what we're up against. And we know how we will win. We face a poisonous and fanatical ideology that wants to pervert one of the world's major religions, Islam, and create conflict, terror and death. With our allies, we will confront it wherever it appears.

In Iraq, the U.K. is the second largest contributor to the anti- ISIL coalition. RAF aircraft have conducted over 100 strikes and will continue to play a leading role. We will deploy additional intelligence and surveillance assets to help Iraqi forces on the ground, and we will ensure they are better trained and equipped to counter explosive devices.

But most important of all, we must also fight this poisonous ideology starting at home.

In the U.K., we're passing a law so that every public body must combat extremism, and this morning, we have agreed to establish a joint group to identify what more we can do to counter the rise of domestic violent extremism and to learn from one another.

In Europe, Russia has chosen to tear up the international rule book and trample over the affairs of a sovereign state. This threatens our stability and our prosperity.

It is important that every country understands that and that no one in Europe forgets our history. We cannot walk on by.

So we will continue to put pressure on Russia to resolve this crisis diplomatically, and at the same time, we'll continue our efforts to support Ukraine on the path of reform, including with financial assistance.

We also reaffirmed our obligations as NATO partners to stand by our allies, and we'll be contributing an additional 1,000 troops for exercises in Eastern Europe this year.

On Iran, we remain absolutely committed to ensuring that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. The best way to achieve that now is to create the space for negotiations to succeed.

We should not impose further sanctions now. That would be counterproductive, and it could put at risk the valuable international unity that has been so crucial to our approach.

We also have to keep pace with new threats such as cyber attacks. We discussed that in the last two days. And we've today agreed to deepen our cybersecurity cooperation to better protect ourselves.

Finally, we face, the entire world faces a growing threat from diseases. Today, our fight is against Ebola. In the future, it could be against a global flu pandemic. Through our action in Sierra Leone, the U.S. action in Liberia, France in Guinea, wee are beginning to turn the corner. But we must get better at responding to these global health emergencies and make sure we can master them before they master us.

So reforming the WHO, the World Health Organization, establishing a team of experts to be on standby to deploy anywhere in the world, a new international platform to stimulate the design and development of new drugs -- all of these things are needed.

And let 2015, the year we must crack Ebola, also be the year we tackle extreme poverty and climate change. On poverty, we must set new clear goals to eradicate extreme poverty, to fight corruption, and to build strong institutions. And on climate change, we want an outcome in Paris that keeps our goal of limiting global warming by 2050 to two degrees within reach.

These two things, and they go together, have the potential to give security to future generations to come.

For almost two centuries, after those little difficulties we were discussing earlier, America and Britain have stood as kindred spirits in defending our freedoms and advancing our shared prosperity. Today, as we survey a world in flux, our alliance stands strong, rooted in its long history, and reinvigorated by the challenges we face today.

If our forebears could join us here in the White House today, they might find the challenges that we're facing, from ISIL to Ebola, from cyber-terrorism to banking crisis, they might find those hard to comprehend. But they would surely recognize the ties that bind us across the Atlantic and the values that our peoples hold so dear.

We've stood together so often, not just because we've faced common threats, but because we fundamentally believe in the same things. That is as true today as it has always been, and it hugely benefits our countries and the people that we're here to serve.

Thank you very much.

OBAMA: Thank you, David.

We're going to take a few questions.

We're going to start with Jonathan Karl of ABC.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

You mentioned your -- wrong mic.

You mentioned your opposition to the sanctions bill on Iran. And this is obviously a bipartisan bill supported by some very senior, top members of your own party in Congress. Why do you oppose a bill that would only impose sanctions if you fail to reach an agreement and if the Iranians fail to agree to take steps to curtail their nuclear program?

Would you go so far as to veto a bill supported by top Democrats in Congress on this issue?

And to Mr. Prime Minister, I understand you've been making phone calls to senators on this issue of the Iran sanctions bill. Is that correct? Are you actually lobbying the U.S. Congress on this?

And if I may, Mr. President, I'd really like to hear your reaction to the news that Mitt Romney is thinking about running for president again.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: On your last question... (LAUGHTER)

...I have no comment.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: None at all?

OBAMA: On your first question, when I came into office, I made a commitment that Iran would not obtain a nuclear weapon, that we would do everything we could to prevent that. And that is important for our security and it's important for the world's security.

If Iran obtained a nuclear weapon, then it would trigger an arms race in the Middle East, make our job in terms of preventing the proliferation of nuclear materials much more difficult. Given their missile capabilities, it would threaten directly our closest allies, including Israel and ultimately could threaten us.

And so what we did was systematically, with the help of Congress, construct the most forceful, most effective sanctions regime in modern history. And what was remarkable was that when I came into office, the world was divided around this issue and Iran was united, and through some very strong diplomatic work, we united the world and isolated Iran. And it's because of that work that we brought them to the negotiating table not for posturing, not for meetings that lead nowhere, but to a very hard-nosed nuts-and-bolt discussion of their nuclear program.

Now, the interim deal that we entered into also froze progress on their nuclear program, rolled back, in some cases, the stockpiles of material that they had already accumulated, and provided us insight into their program that was unprecedented. We have people on the ground who are able to verify and inspect and tell us what exactly is going on.

That's not just our assessment, that's the assessment of intelligence services around the world, including the Israelis. So the agreement has held and the negotiations have been serious. We have not lost ground. Iran has not accelerated its program during the time these negotiations have taken place. In fact, Iran's program has not only been in abeyance, but we've actually made gains in rolling back some of the stockpiles that they had.

Now, we have on the table currently a series of negotiations over the next several months to determine whether or not Iran can get to yes. And what's been remarkable is the unity that we have maintained with the world in isolating Iran and forcing them to negotiate in a serious way.

The P-5-plus-1 includes not only China, but also includes Russia. And they have continued to cooperate with us in setting forth positions that would give us assurances that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon.

Now, I've always said that the chances that we can actually get a diplomatic deal are probably less than 50-50. Iran is a regime that, you know, is deeply suspicious of the West, deeply suspicious of us. In the past, they have surreptitiously and secretly advanced aspects of this program. We have huge differences with them on a whole range of issues.

But if, in fact, we still have an opportunity to get a diplomatic deal that provides us verifiable assurances that they are not developing a nuclear weapon, that is the best possible outcome that we can arrive at right now.

And the question I had for members of Congress, including those folks in my own party, is, why is it that we would have to take actions that might jeopardize the possibility of getting a deal over the next 60 to 90 days? What is it precisely that is going to be accomplished?

I can tell you what the risks are, and I think David shares my assessment here. Under the interim deal that brought Iran to the table, we were not supposed to initiate new sanctions.

Now, you'll hear arguments, "Well, these technically aren't sanctions. They're simply laws putting in place the possibility of additional sanctions." I assure you, that is not how Iran would interpret it or our partners would interpret it.

So the likelihood of the entire negotiations collapsing is very high. And if that happens, there is no constraint on Iran, at that point, going back and doing exactly what it had been doing before they came to the table: developing a heavy water reactor that, once built, is extraordinary difficult to dismantle and very difficult to hit militarily, going back at underground facilities that are very hard to reach militarily, accelerating advanced centrifuges that shorten the time span in which they can achieve breakout capacity.