CNN – World leaders huddling at the Group of Eight meeting today are “unified in their approach” to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, President Barack Obama said in his opening remarks at Camp David.
The leaders agree that Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear power, Obama said, but they harbored “grave concern” that over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He said the Iranian regime has not yet convinced the world community that it isn’t pursuing a nuclear weapons program, a scenario that leaders staunchly oppose.
The G8 — comprised of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and Russia — are “firmly committed” to applying sanctions, pressure and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from developing nuclear weaponry, Obama said.
“Our hope is that we can resolve this in a peaceful fashion,” he said.
The G8 meeting at Obama’s Camp David retreat in Maryland began Friday, and is one of two high-stakes, back-to-back summits this weekend. On Sunday, NATO kicks off its two-day summit in Chicago.
Along with Iran, G8 members discussed a range of issues, including Syria, North Korea and Myanmar, also known as Burma, at a discussion on Friday. Obama said the group believes that a “peaceful resolution and a political transition is preferable” in Syria and the group said it is “deeply concerned about violence and loss of life.”
They support U.N. and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan to end the 14-month crisis in Syria, an initiative that calls for a cease-fire.
Obama said the plan needs to be “fully implemented” and “the political process has to move forward in a more timely fashion to resolve that issue.”
While all of the nations back the Annan plan at the U.N. Security Council, there have been differences between Russia and China and other nations on how to tackle the crisis in Syria.
The United States and other countries have urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside and have initiated tough sanctions against the government. Russia and China’s stated position is to call for an end to violence, but through diplomacy and negotiation, not official sanctions.
There was agreement among the leaders that North Korea faces further isolation if it continues its pursuit of a nuclear program.
