Window Closing for Iran to Act, Obama, Cameron Say

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – Sanctions and diplomatic pressure against Iran are working and need more time, but the window for Iran to act is closing, British and American leaders said here today.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron emphasized they are united in the effort to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The men spoke at a news conference after White House meetings.

“We believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution,” Obama said. Britain and the United States will consult closely with allies as the process moves forward, he added.

“Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade the choice before it: meet your international obligations or face the consequences,” the president said.

Cameron said Obama has taken a “tough, reasonable approach” that has united the world behind the sanction program.

“Britain has played a leading role in helping to deliver an EU-wide oil embargo,” the prime minister said. “Alongside the financial sanctions being led by America, this embargo is dramatically increasing the pressure on the regime.”

The two men reiterated that nothing is off the table regarding the Iranian nuclear program. “That is essential for the safety of the region and the wider world,” Cameron added.

Iran’s time to act is now, Obama said.

“In the past, there's been a tendency for Iran to … delay, to stall, to do a lot of talking, but not actually move the ball forward,” he said. “I think they should understand that because the international community has applied so many sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade Iran to take a different course, the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking.”

Obama Welcomes ‘Rock-solid’ Ally to White House

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron reaffirmed the “rock-solid” alliance between their two countries at a White House welcome ceremony this morning.

The two men and their staffs will discuss a range of issues from Afghanistan and NATO to economic policy and trade.

The United States and Great Britain are the strongest of allies, Obama said in his welcome speech on the South Lawn of the White House. “Down the decades we’ve seen nations rise and fall; wars fought and peace defended; a city divided, a wall come down; countries imprisoned behind an Iron Curtain, then liberated,” the president said.

The Cold War ended and the information age began. The world transformed. “Yet, through the grand sweep of history, through all its twists and turns, there is one constant: the rock-solid alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the president said.

The U.S.-U.K. alliance is essential to security and prosperity around the globe, Obama said.

Cameron noted he was standing in front of the Executive Mansion, which British troops burned during the War of 1812. “Since that unfortunate episode 200 years ago, generations of British and American servicemen and women have fought together,” the prime minister said.

From 1941 to the present, from Normandy to Helmand province, British and American forces have fought side-by-side. “There can be no more tangible illustration of our two nations defending our values and advancing our interests than the mutual sacrifice made by our servicemen and women,” Cameron said. “And let us once again pay tribute to their valor, their courage, their professionalism and their dedication here in Washington today.”

Cameron said British personnel are proud to serve with American service members. “When the chips are down, Britain and America know that we can always count on each other because we are allies not just prepared to say the right thing, but to do the right thing and to do it in the right way, promoting our values, standing up for our ideals,” he said. “The partnership between our countries, between our peoples is the most powerful partnership for progress that the world has ever seen.”

Chairman Arrives in London for Consultations, Outreach

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

LONDON, Nov. 28, 2011 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff arrived here today for meetings with senior British government officials.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey also will deliver the Colin Cramphorn Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Policy Exchange. Cramphorn was the chief constable of the West Yorkshire Police from 2002 until he died in 2006.

The lecture series has featured British and American leaders, including Marine Corps General James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, and retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, now director of the CIA.

While in London, Dempsey will meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond, and his counterpart, British Army Gen. Sir David Richards, chief of the Defense Staff. Richards commanded International Security Assistance Force troops in southern Afghanistan and has commanded rapid-reaction forces in Sierra Leone and East Timor. He is the highest-ranking officer in the British military.

Dempsey also will meet with the British service chiefs.

Tomorrow, the chairman will speak at a Royal United Services Institute program on women in defense and security leadership.