Obama, Sarkozy express agreement on Mideast

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US President Barack Obama , left, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, second left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel third left, leave the former Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp near the eastern German city of Weimar in Thuringia Friday. — AP

US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have agreed on the need to push for a two-state solution for peace in the Middle East and to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, reports VOA News.
The two leaders were meeting in Normandy ahead of the commemorations Saturday of the 65th anniversary of the allied invasion of France during World War II.
Mr. Sarkozy denounced what he called "insane" statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has suggested that Israel be wiped off the map. The French leader also supported Mr. Obama's call for Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank.
Mr. Obama said the parties must move beyond the current stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians. He also reiterated a call for Palestinians to renounce violence and demonstrate they will be able to follow through on promises made in negotiations.
The U.S. and French leaders agreed to work together on a range of issues, including the economy.
AP adds: On Friday, Obama witnessed the Nazi ovens of the Buchenwald concentration camp, its clock tower frozen at the time of liberation, and said the leaders of today must not rest against the spread of evil.
Obama said Friday he is sending special envoy George J. Mitchell back to the Middle East next week. The president is also hoping his outreach to Islam in his Cairo speech will make progress more possible toward Mideast peace.
In Normandy, Obama will be reaching out for more backup from European partners - particularly France - whose esteem for Washington wavered under President George W Bush.
Obama wants more European troops in Afghanistan and greater efforts to stimulate European economies. Sarkozy has resisted both appeals. In Cairo, Obama defended Muslim women's right to wear the veil, while France has banned it from public schools.
The Normandy beaches are fitting place to plea for better ties.
Honouring American and British D-Day veterans Friday, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said, "France is paying tribute to those who re-established our liberty ... France remembers who they were and what France owes them."
Eighty-four-year-old William Dabney was among those honoured.
There's a personal side for Obama. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, came ashore at Omaha Beach six weeks after D-Day. Dunham's older brother Ralph hit Omaha on D-Day plus four.
Obama and the other leaders will give speeches at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The ceremony ends with a 12-plane flyover by French, British and American jets, including a maneuver in which one jet fighter suddenly veers off vertically to symbolise a soldier lost in combat.
Obama arrived in Paris Friday night and heads to Normandy late morning. While Obama and Sarkozy discuss politics, their wives - dueling style icons, Michelle Obama and model-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy - are expected to meet separately.