President Barack Obama, wearing the blue gown of the University of Notre Dame, joined commencement ceremonies at the nation's leading Catholic university amid protests over his support of abortion rights and stem-cell research.
Obama, Netanyahu: Peace talks resume
by Paul Richter
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that he wants to resume peace negotiations with Palestinian leaders immediately, but stopped short of embracing a fully sovereign Palestinian state, as the Obama administration has been pressing him to do.
In his first White House meeting with President Barack Obama, Netanyahu said that Israel wants the Palestinians to govern themselves "absent a handful of powers that could endanger the state of Israel."
Netanyahu often has said that Israel should retain military and border control, and dominance of the electronic spectrum, to ensure its security.
The Palestinians "will have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, will have to also enable Israel to have the means to defend itself," he told reporters after a two-hour Oval Office meeting.
The Israeli leader also succeeded in convincing Obama to provide a rough deadline for his diplomatic overture to Iran.
Obama said that, while he didn't want to set an "artificial deadline," he believed that by the end of the year "we should have some sense of whether these discussions are starting to yield serious benefits."
The Israelis fear that the Iranians may try to use any negotiating period as a means to make further progress in advancing their nuclear program.
Netanyahu said he also was pleased that Obama hinted at the possibility of stronger sanctions, including military force, against Iran, if it did not agree to foreswear nuclear ambitions.
Obama said he assured Netanyahu "that we are not foreclosing a range of steps, including much stronger international sanctions, in assuring that Iran understands we are serious."
Although some observers have predicted that the two leaders' meeting would bring friction, Obama and Netanyahu praised each other. Obama said he believed Netanyahu would seize the historic opportunity to make peace with which he has been presented.
The president will play host next week to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and also Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in an attempt to orchestrate broader peace talks in the region.
Obama, Netanyahu Emphasize Diplomatic Efforts
Netanyahu and President Barack Obama met for more than two hours at the White House and focused on Mideast peace talks, Iran's nuclear program and the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Obama said he expects a positive response from his diplomatic outreach to Iran on stopping its nuclear program by the end of the year.
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