president. good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. an emotional meeting last night. members of the united nations security council gathered to hear first hand accounts of the gas a attack on civilians ss in syria last month. samantha power said after the meeting she did not see a dry eye in the room. thank you for being with us. tell me about the evidence you have so far about the chemical attack and what you were told. >> the organization that looked into the previous attacks has gathered hundreds of witness testimonies and the witnesses month matter what town they're in where allegations have taken hold described helicopters dropping barrel bombs, smell of chlorine.

victims coming gagging and choking, some how not able to breathe. ultimately many have been killed. what happened yesterday is one of the doctors that treated a family of people all of whom died. six members of the family suffocated to death. none had a cut on their body. the doctor described the health workers trying to treat this family, they themselves also fainted and got affix yated by virtue of contact with this toxic chemical dropped from barrel bombs. >> what is the red line? there's controversy of what happened in 2012. those chemical weapons were disposed of so there was a good outcome although it was controversial the way it went down. this war has been going on four years. 200,000 people have died. you have been a passionate

advocate for doing something. why can't the united nations and the world act? >> well, first, let me say that dismantling the declared chemical weapons program is important. attacks like the kind in august 2013 killed more than 1,000 people in one swoop. the horror of those image are ones none of us will forget. that was one of the attacks the regime carried out. it is a violation of international law. it's as brutal for a victim as sarin would be. the challenge is of course russia and the fact russia supported the regime through thick and thin and almost ir suspect the attacks.

we need it like a -- considered like a weapon of war. >> yesterday vladimir putin in a four hour news conference saving ukraine is part of russia and taking a threatening tone even talking about defensive nuclear weapons. what are you making of this? >> this is consistent with the aggression that putin carried out, trying to lop off crimea and large chunk of eastern ukraine. it's consistent with provokcative actions. these are worrying very provocative. these are ones we have met with severe economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation. those sanctions have succeeded in making huge impact on russia's economy. they have not changed putin's calculus. we're invested in the process and assuring the agreement which putin claims to still stand

behind. we're seeing dangerous escalation on the ground and in the last days a pick up on fighting in eastern ukraine. we'll continue to meet every action and undermining of ukraine's stability with isolation and with sanctions. fundamentally russia needs to decide if he cares about the people and fate of his economy and if he wants to take russia down the path of ruin. >> russia will resupply iran with missile technology at the point weapon's inspectors are tasked to make sure they have not violated past and current agreements on war heads and missiles to make it possible to go forward with this agreement. what do we do with russia now arm ago arming up iran? >> we've long raised the question to that particular arms deal. russia has stood with us in the

negotiations and through the years of u.n. multilateral sanctions. as we go forward of course -- if we are to secure a deal we need russia on the side of sanctions enforcement and pressing iran. again, in the talks that gave rise to the frame work russia stood with us and sees it as national interest also to deny iran a pathway to a nuclear weapon. that's an important shared national interest. we again are going to retain the arms embargo. few a days ago we put in place an arms embargo related to yemen where we see iran stepping up support for houthi. now there's arms embargo prohibiting houthi. there's now restrictions against its actions and recipients.

we're double tracking. that's something russia allowed to go through to security council. we're going to try to enforce international peace and security which is why we sit on the u.n. security council. >> and finally boko haram. it's been a year since hundreds of girls were taken. what can we do? the attention of the world seems to have diminished since the bring back our girls campaign. >> andrea, i note that many more hundreds of girls have been kidnapped since then. the fact we and other downcountryies have supplied support that the nigerian government or other neighbors see as appropriate. i think we have a new opportunity with the recent election in nigeria. the president has committed himself in a forceful way. he knows that part of the country very well. the united states made clear both, in terms of bilateral

support for military effort in terms of humanitarian assistance for thousands displaced, intelligence we're there for them. we're going to have a new partner with the new nigerian government. while it doesn't help the girls who have been taken, boko haram for the first time in months is on its heels. the amount of territory it speaks for has actually shrunken considerably in the last few weeks. just like isil united states declared it's in our human interest because of the welfare of civilians 2r56r7trampled by boko haram and neighbors. we're going to the white house where the president is speaking with the italian prime minister. >> we're going to work more

intensively to encourage cooperation on threats coming from libya including the growing isil presence there as well as additional coordination with partners to stabilize what's become a deadly and difficult situation. more broadly, the italian force continues to play a vital role from lebanon to afghanistan. coalition forces continue to train and assist afghan forces. we want to make sure we transition responsibly as we complete consolidation by the end of next year. i updated prime minister renzi on the frame work that we reached with iran. our progress towards a comprehensive deal that prevents iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. we agree until a deal is reached, sanctions on irany and strictly

enforced. after this press conference we'll have lunch. that will give us a chance to focus on what is clearly the top priority of both our peoples creating a strong inclusive country. like us he's a support of transatlantic trade investment partnership to boost jobs and export in europe and the united states and would include strong protections for workers in public health safety and the environment. now that congress is considering important bipartisan legislation for trade promotion authority, negotiations need to make major progress this year. i'm looking forward to hearing the prime minister's assessment of the economic reforms he's pursuing to make italy more competitive. we'll discuss europe's effort to

find paths that build on recent reforms to return greece to wealth. we'll discuss the importance of all our major economies taking ambitious action on climate change. during the presence of eu it areally showed real leadership as europe committed to new targets to reduce emissions. my work with renzi is our effort to forge a strong climate agreement in paris this year. finally, i want to congratulate italy and people of milan as they prepare to host the 2015 world expo. the focus is on food, something that italy knows about along with wine. the expo and our u.s. pavilion is focused not only on outstanding cuisine like italy's but how we feed a growing planet, to combat hunger and

malnutrition. how we put healthy food on our tables. that's a cause that's close to michelle's heart. so we commend italy's leadership. i suspect many americans will be visiting milan and sampling the food and sampling the wine. mateo, gracias for your leadership in italy and europe and partnership on pressing global issues. i assure you that it is a friendship and partnership that all americans treasure. and we are grateful that we have such strong bonds between our peoples. prime minister? >> thank you so much. [ inaudible ] for me and every member of the italian government to be here in the white house and free come

around the world. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: in terms of foreign policy as well as in the economic and development model. the last time we met was during the g-20. i can only say that as a partner and as an ally i have to express my appreciation for the work that has been carried out by the united states of america and the very complex cuba issue. this has been a very complex issue. it's been difficult for the american people as well as for the cuban people. as well i would like to congratulate the president for the iranian issues because at least there is a frame work.

there's an agreement which we hope will reach a conclusion by june 30th. i would also like to add that when i came to the white house, i brought on my behalf and all italians, these feelings of pride for what the president mentioned earlier. for the role of so many italians in the history of the united states of america from christopher columbus onward as well as the appreciation and the gratefulness for the sacrifice of young men and women of the united states whom in these next few days we will remember for having liberated italy. we're very very proud of what our fighters are partisans did because they fight against fascism. they went out in the mountains, they struggled, they fought.

this would not have been possible without the sacrifice and the commitment of the american army. young men and women who didn't even know italy, who died for my grandfather, for my father my family and my children. that's that is why in celebration in italy, i will be sure -- this is the 70th day after the liberation. i'll go to a place i love particularly which is the american cemetery in order to honor all the american people. i would like to thank you dear president on behalf of all italians. we spoke quite a bit and spoke about a number of topics. i'm quite anxious to talk with president obama about everything that has to do with the economy. now, if you look at these last seven years from 2008 to 2015 the american economy has had a reduction of the unemployed. there has been a growth in the

gdp. the european economy had an increase in employment in unemployed and gdp went down. ing and just did not work at home. this is why i believe the experience of the united states government is a model for the european economy and that we have to be very careful about budgets, about the limitations, about our commitments. at the same time we have to go through a new season of growth and investments. in 2014 we started with the first provisions. there's still much to be done. the american leadership for me is a point of reference. we also spoke about libya as the president said. i just had a meeting. during this meeting i am convinced that the united states and i, the president and i, are fully on the same page. in the next few weeks, we will see that we will reach the

fruits of all this commitment. everything that happens in the mediterranean sea is not merely something that has to do with security. of course it is but at the same time it has to do with justice and the dignity of man kind. this is why the very a authoritative cooperation the united states can offer is for italy extremely important. we also spoke about the ukraine and spoke about russia as the president mentioned. we also mentioned all the issues that have to do with iran and the very complex frame work in the middle east. i believe that it's very important for us to underscore how as part of this great alliance guided by the united states which is a reference point not just for our choices but for the ideals the cultural

battle that all of us have to fight. this is why dear president, dear barack i decided to leave georgetown university. i went to visit georgetown. now when i leave the white house, i'll go to the national gallery. i know that there is an exhibition on the florentine italian renaissance. this of course is a clear message that tells us how culture is important for a young boy, a young girl. this is the engine. this is the basis of our civilization and our future. this is a great occasion the expo, of course. i brought a few bottles of wine to barack because i know he's a great expert. >> i remember in interview with italian journalist about tuscan wine. i remember very well an

important interview about it. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: i also believe it's important for us. quite a side from jokes, we must make sure the expo becomes great occasion for quality of life lifestyle. at the same time to declare against poverty. it's not possible for us to have a world in which one billion people die because they're obese or because they don't have enough to eat. this is what the expo is going to be in the presence of the united states will be an element of great importance. thank you from the bottom of my heart. if i may finish, i'd like to say that even if it doesn't have anything to do between the relationship between governments, i say to president obama that i wanted to thank him for his speech at selma. this is a personal observation, but it's also a political issue.

there are moments in which history can be quite extraordinary. one of these moments is what this country has lived through over the last 50 years. for those of us that love politics, that speech was a moment of great inspiration and strong reflection. for this, thank you kindly mr. president. thank you for your warm welcome to the white house. >> thank you very much. let me just be clear that with respect to the wine i felt it would be insulting for me not to sample it. and to establish the strong commercial bonds between the united states of america when it comes to tuscan wine. i'll give you mateo a report on whether it's up to the quality we expect. with that let me call on

roberto rampton of roit. >> thanks. president obama some congressional leaders yesterday came to a deal on fast track for trade. it's clear many in your party are opposed including senator. are you worried this will hurt your party's ability to win? do you need hillary clinton's support on this? and prime minister how confident are you that greece will reach an agreement with its creditors by the end of this month? how concerned are each of you about the effects this could have on global economy if a deal is not reached? >> on trade. first of all, i want to congratulate senators widen and hatch for coming up with a

bipartisan bipartisan framework. the trade promotion authority is not the same as a trade agreement. it just gives a structure by which -- when a trade agreement is presented, it can move forward in a quicker fashion and though the get completely bogged down in usual procedures. i would be receiving the same trade promotion authority that every president in the post war era from president nixon has received. it's not exceptional in that sense. what is exceptional is in this frame work for the first time, there are requirements for enforceable labor environmental provisions. there is a clear attention to issues like human rights. and in many ways this is the

most far reaching and progressive trade promotion authority we've seen going through congress. and that's important. as i've said before it is entirely understandable that there is some skepticism around trade from working family who is live in a town that saw manufacturing collapse and jobs being out sourced. people recognize that there had been circumstances in the past in which trade may have contributed to growth of the global economy or even the u.s. economy but hurt workers. and we've learned will lessons from that. this afraid promotion authority, thanks to the work of senator widen and hatch reflects some of those lessons. now in terms of actually getting a deal done the first trade agreement that we potentially

would present under this trade promotion authority would be the transpacific partnership or tpp. i've spoken of this before but will repeat. 95% are outside our borders. fastest growing and most populist are in asia. if we do not help to shape the rules so that our businesses and our workers can compete in those markets, then china will set up rules that advantage chinese workers and chinese businesses. that will set the stage over the next 20 to 30 years for us being locked out, us being unable to protect our businesses from discrimination, our agoricultural products being excluded from these areas, high tariffs that prevent us from competing

fairly. when it comes to services or the internet for example, our ability to maintain property protection, freedom, internet or other that tilt the playing field against u.s. workers, that's what's going to happen. so what we are doing is negotiating the highest level, highest standard trade agreement in our history with strong enforcement labor provisions strong enforcement environmental provisions. i will be able to show when the final agreement is presented that this is absolutely good for not just american businesses but for american workers. it's good for our economy and right thing to do. now, last point i'll make on this. the politics around trade has always been tough, particularly in the democratic party because people have memories of

outsourcing and job loss. the point i've made to my labor friends and my progressive friends is that companies that are looking for just low cost labor, they've already left. we're already at disadvantage right now. the trade agreement i'm proposing would actually strengthen our ability to force other markets open and strengthen our position compared to where we are right now. being opposed to this new trade agreement is essentially ratification of status quo the where a lot of folks are selling here, but we're not selling there. japan is one of the negotiators in this deal. now, last time i checked, if you drive around washington there's a bunch of japanese cars. you go to tokyo and count how many chryslers and gm and ford

cars there are. so, the current situation is not working for us. i don't know why it is that folks would be opposed to us opening up japanese market more for u.s. autos or u.s. beef. doesn't make any sense. so i'm going to be able to make a strong case. i think it's important when you talk about dividing the party. we've got a korean free trade agreement pass. we've got a columbian free trade agreement pass panama agreement pass last several years over my presidency. it didn't divide the democratic party. there's going to be a set of democratic senators and house members who traditionally just on principle oppose trade because the unions on principle regardless of what the provisions are are opposed to trade. then there are others who like me believe that we cannot stop a

global economy at our shores. we've got to be in there and compete. we've got to make sure we're righting the rules so we've got a level playing ging field. when we do products made in america and services provided by american firms are the best in the world. i'll continue to make that argument. for those that argument this is contrary to the interest of working families what i tell them is my whole presidency has been about helping working families and lifting up wages and giving workers more opportunity. if i didn't think this deal was doing it i wouldn't do it. i didn't get elected because of the sponsorship of the business round table or chamber of commerce. those aren't the ones that brung me to the dance. the reason i'm doing it is because i know this is an important thing to do. i also know it sends a signal throughout asia that we are out there competing and that we are

going to help maintain international rules that are fair for everybody and not so tilted in favor of one country that it ends up being bad for not only our commercial prospects but other countries over the long term. that was a very long answer. it's a big question. i haven't had the chance to talk about it. sorry mateo. >> very briefly. i feel confident but at the same time worried. obviously the situation in greece -- the situation in europe is not the 2011 not around 2008. it's different time but we must absolutely strongly work to achieve an agreement to achieve the disagreement that's important greece government respects. not all agreements of the past

because in the european council we accept a very normal principle if there is a moment of election and there is a new leader. it's correct to respect the votes of citizens in this case the vote of citizens in greece. the frame work of agreement in the european institutions which are very important greek government must respect. at the same time, we must, for the future write a new page european economics. i absolutely confident about it. it's finished the time of austerity in europe. to achieve this goal the local government, the national government must do reforms.

this is important first of all for italy. we are absolutely committed to realize to our citizens not european institutions to our citizens. and then we can finally open a discussion about the austerity and growth in the european economy. now is the time to respect the new frame work of agreement and we will work many this direction. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: mr. president, some of your promises have brought investors from the u.s. to italy. now these investors would like to know when all these reforms are going to take place. could you give us a better idea? you spoke about austerity and growth the markets are very

preoccupied. we have public finances that are in a difficult situation. how can you reconciliate this austerity when our public finances are in such bad shape? i would like to know what you think about the -- >> you complain about germany holding to inflations. you have heard things are changing in europe. there are progresses especially ecb taking action with qe action. is that enough? have europe and italy done enough? is your complain over germany over? only -- did you agree or discuss the sell of drones to italy? thank you. >> translator: three questions

in one you just asked. three questions in one. first of all the time line for reforms. i think that i can safely say that the american ambassadors who wish to invest in italy but italian investors as well finally have a labor market which is more flexible. this has been achieved. let's say we have done this. then we have an institutional system the taxation system public instruction. in the next six months all this reform will be done. what needs to be made absolutely clear is that even if in italy everybody wants to start or many would like to start from scratch again, reforms have begun.

there's no way anyone is going to block them. people that wish to invest at this time find a labor market which is simplyifiedsimplified. they find quality of engineers, people who work people of italy in general very high quality. what will be necessary in the next few months is education, education, education. investment in this field because in the global world, in order to be a leader in italy isn't the number of inhabitants. we're not that many. perhaps it's not just simply the position even though we are in a strategic position. what we'll really count is whether italians offer human capital, idea and future. in terms of austerity policy it's important to bear in mind something that's quite simple. i know that we have to be very

clear in our accounts but we have to bet on growth. the united states are our model. in the last meeting of the european board of derek dorirectors showed us slides with the results of united states and europe in the last seven years. obviously this is -- this attests to respect for the united states. it also proves that just based on austerity in europe this is not going anywhere. we spoke about this and have discussed this with president obama. we cannot just look at our budget as of course an important limit. italy is fulfilling all obligations. it is the country in europe that is fulfilling all its obligations and rules. now, in terms of titp it's a

very important objective. we believe 2015 has to be the turning point, the year of the turning point as the italian government. we are pushing with great determination because we know a that with ttip italy has everything to gain from the trade and economics stance. also because we believe that when the united states and justly so establish trade agreements with china, with asia, with other areas in the world, i think that it would be fundamental as a key principle having the same relationship in the logic of our historic friendship between europe and the united states. now, going back to our own party, we represent the party in italy which i would like the to call the democratic party one day at a european level.

our party is convinced and it also maintains the position even though there are many resistances from the german social democrats. i am fully determined to find the agreements. we will talk about this during our lunch hour as well. >> first of all, let me make sure that i correct the impression i have consistently criticized germany. chancellor merkel is a great friend and great ally. from the time i came into office when we were in the midst of the great recession, there have been competing economic theories in terms of what's the best way to pull us out of a financially induced crisis of this scale. it was our strong belief it was important for us to make the

invest managements to boost demand to put money in the pockets of consumer ss to strengthen and forty identify the banking system so we wouldn't see bailout of irresponsible practices on wall street. the best way to bring down the deficit was not to cut spending but to grow the economy. the as well as investment and importance for long term growth. i think we've already is succeeded in stabilizing economy and putting it on growth trajectory. we've now seen five straight years of job growth. we've gone from 10% unemployment

down to 5.5%. we've done this while reducing the deficit by two-thirds primarily because the economy grew much faster. it's been my view with the respect to europe that it's not an either or situation. sometimes it gets framed with what's the right answer for europe? is it austerity or structural reform? my attitude is yes, you need structural reforms. if labor markets are stuck, it's hard to hire particularly young people. if there's too much bureaucracy to start a new business business gos elsewhere or talented entrepreneurs start business somewhere else. i think prime minister renzi's government is on the right track

in initiating structural reforms angela merkel and others have called on for a long time but what i've also said is that at a time of such low demand and hints of deflation that we were see ing seeing over the course of several years, boosting demand is also important. having flexibility and meeting fiscal targets is also important that the sustainability of structural reforms depends on people feeling some sense of hope and progress. if all it is just getting squeezed but there's no growth then over time the political consensus breaks down and not only do you not get structural reforms but you also end up

reverting to some of the old patterns that didn't work. so i think that the approach that mateo is describing is the right one. move forward on structural reforms but have flexibility and strategy for increasing demand increasing investments. if -- by the way, here in the united states we're not done. i'd like to see us rebuild infra infrastructure across this country. that's a smart idea. it would put people back to work, boost demand. more workers would be employed. they would then spend money. you get a virtuous cycle. it's something we need to do to stay competitive. this is not just europe. globally all of us have to realize global demand is weak.

china is making necessary transitions towards a more consumer based rather than export based economy. that means they're not going to be growing as fast. that in turn has meant suppliers of raw materials to china see a their economies soften. what i've said to europeans is don't expect the united states is simply going to be the engine the for everybody. don't expect you can just keep on selling to the united states. we can't sell anything to you because your economy is so weak. that won't benefit anybody. those are concerns i've expressed across the board. this finally, the last point i make supplies to greece as well. i think matteo is right. greece needs to initiate reforms. they have to collect taxes. they have to reduce their bureaucracy. they have to have more flexibility labor practices.

when the new prime minister came in i called him and said we recognize -- you need to show your people there's hope and you can grow. we will be supportive of some flexibilities in how you move forward so you can make investments and it's not just squeezing blood from a stone. but you have to show those who are extending credit those who are supporting your financial system you're trying to help yourself. that require making the kinds of tough decisions matteo is beginning to make. we did not discuss drones. we did not. last question from this side is margaret telly. >> thank you mr. president, prime minister renzi.

mr. president i'd like to ask you about iran. i hope you bring us up to speed on prospects for confirmation. have you done enough? where is this thing going? on iran so much has happened so this is going to be one of my three part questions. >> just a general -- >> no. the carden corker compromise this week was a significant concession from you. do you believe you've weathered anymore congressional bids to derail this or are you concerned because i ral and iran have become deeply polarized, there's more to offend off? you have suggestsed but not said there must be a phase out rather than the immediate lifting of sanctions in order for you to agree to a final deal. can you be definitive on that is this may you release part or all of that several billion in

frozen oil assets iran has? you seem to be floating the idea you may want to say something about russia lifting the ban on missiles to iran. i'll throw that your way. prime minister renzi, i wanted to ask you about drones. since that shockingly didn't come up there's been some deeply troubling news about some of the migrants trying to come from libya to italy, violence reports of violence by muslims and you know pushing christians off the boats. what i wanted to ask you is how are you managing this? are you confident italy is able to control the risk of extremeist extremists coming into europe through italy? thank you. >> all right. i wrote them down. on iran. i thought bob corker and ben

carden came to a reasonable compromise. i had two concerns from the start with respect to any steps taken by congress. the first was to make sure that their actions did not derail or prevent prevent us being able to get the best deal possible. john kerry when he's in those negotiations not with being hobbled or his life not being more complicated until we have a deal done. my basic argument was let us show you if there's a deal or not. if there is you'll have ample opportunity to review it and pine on it. right now we're still

negotiating so have patience. i think the final product that emergedker carden e noes we believe will not derail negotiations. that checked off one box. the second concern i had was just an issue of presidential prerogatives. there were people supporting corker's legislation suggesting that as a routine matter a president needs to get sign off from congress to negotiate political agreements. that is not the case. that has never been the case. this is not a formal treaty being envisioned. the president of the united states whether democrat or republican traditionally has been able to enter into political agreements binding with other countries without

congressional approval. i still had some concerns about the suggestion that that tradition was in some ways changing. there was language in the legislation that spoke to this being directly related to congressional sanctions. that i think at least allows me to interpret the legislation in such a way it is not sending a signal to future presidents that each and every time they're negotiating a political agreement that they have to get congressional authorization. so the final thing i'll say about corker legislation is that both senator corker and senator carden, at least in my

understanding, agreed that there's not going to be a whole bunch of poison pills or additional amendments added to it and they'll be protective of this being a straightforward fair process for congress to be able to evaluate any deal we may come up with. then register its views. it's not going to be tilted in the direction of trying to kill the deal. i take them at their word on that. we'll continue to monitor that. assuming that what lands on my desk is what senators corker and carden agreed to i will sign it. that will then give congress an opportunity to see, do we have a deal that reflects the political agreement i talked about earlier? i expect that it will. with respect to the issue of sanctions coming down i don't want to get out of ahead of john kerry and my negotiators in

materials of how to craft this. i would just make a general observation, and a that is that how how sanctions are lessened how we snap back sanctions if will there's a violation. there are a lot of different mechanisms and ways to do that. part of john's job and part of the iranian negotiator's job and part of the p 5 plus 1's job is to sometimes find formulas that get to our main concerns while allowing the other side to make a presentation to their body politic that is more acceptable.

our main concern is making sure that if iran doesn't a bide by the agreement we don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops in order to reinstate sanctions. i think that goal of having the reserve possibility of putting back and applying forceful sanctions in the event of violation violation, that goal can be met. it will require creative negotiations by john kerry and others. i'm confident it will be successful. i very much appreciate by the way the support that has been provided by prime minister renzi as well as his former foreign minister who now is the eu representative in many of these discussions. with respect to russian sales, i will tell you this is a sale that was slated to happen in

2009 when i first met with then prime minister putin. they topped the sale paused or suspended the sale at our request. i'm surprised that it held this long given that they were not prohibited by sanctions from selling these defensive weapons. when i say i'm not surprised given the deterioration between russia and the united states and the fact their economy is under strain and this was a substantial sale. i do think it sends a message about how important it is for us to look like we are credible in

negotiations if in fact a deal fails and we are needing to maintain sanctions. i've heard some in congress who are opposed to this deal say either let's just slap on either more sanctions or we'll do sanctions unilaterally regardless of what other countries are willing to do. the reason that the sanctions regime has worked is because pain stakingly we built an international coalition that has held this long. if it is perceived that we walked away from a fair deal that gives us assurances iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. those international sanctions will fray. it won't just be russia or china. it will be some of our close allies who are start questions our capacity or the wisdom of

maintaining these. we don't want to put ourselves in that position. we want to make sure that a if there's no deal around the iran nuclear program, it's because of iranians were not willing to accept what the international community considered to be an appropriate and fair approach to this problem. okay? whew. oh. see i'm still not finished. let me say this about loretta lynch. we've actually seen some outbreaks of bipartisan ship and common sense in congress over the last couple of weeks. yesterday i signed sgr fix that initiates not only some real reforms around how our health

care system works, but expands insurance for children. we just talked about what i think was at least a constructive process to resolve the question of congressional involvement in iran. yet, what we still have is this crazy situation where a woman who everyone agrees is qualified, who has gone after terrorists who has worked with police officers to get gangs off the street, who is trusted by the civil rights community and by police unions as being somebody who's fair and effective and a good manager. nobody suggests otherwise who's been confirmed twice before by the united states senate. for one of the biggest law enforcement jobs in the country. has now been sitting there

longer than the previous seven attorney general nominees combined. there's no reason for it. nobody can describe a reason for it beyond political gamesman ship in the senate on an issue completely unrelated to her. this is the top law enforcement job in the country. it's my attorney general who has to interact with his italian counter parts or her italian counter parts in dealing with counter terrorism issues dealing with interpol dealing with our national security in coordinating with our fbi. what are we doing here? and i have to say that there are times where the dysfunction in

the senate just goes too far. this is an example of it. it's gone too far. enough. enough. call loretta lynch for a vote. get her confirmed. put her in place, let her do her job. this is embarrassing a process like this. thank you. >> the situation of migrants in the mediterranean sea, i think mediterranean is a sea not a cemetery. the problem in this moment is the situation in libya discussed with mr. president. if you think about 91% of the

people who came from africa to italy came from libya. so exactly as three years ago when the people come because the problem was lack of stability in tanzia. obviously it is not easy. we work everyday to find a solution with the united nations and with the older partners and the friends and allies in the region, but i think the only way is come back to stability in libya. in this period in this period of transition italy is ready to bring responsibility to make the

leadership in counter terrorism efforts. but the key point is stop human trafficking in mediterranean sea is priority for everybody in europe and for me it's absolutely crucial. president obama is a priority also for united states. stop human trafficking is the only way to give a perspective of the justice and also security of course for the risks of this area. i think there are not problem of clash of religion in italy. maybe yesterday, maybe. there was one case about -- the problem is not problem of

allegiance. it's problem of human dignity. we are absolutely committed to solve this problem, and i am confident it has become a priority with a great result. [ inaudible question ] >> you just said that italy is ready to take on its responsibilities in terms of diplomacy and antiterrorism activities. who are the protagonist in this region the people that should be interlock lars in order to reach stability in libya. what does antiterrorist activities mean? are you ready to send the 5,000 when you spoke about? how do you intend to do so? will you have the support from

president obama maybe using drones? >> can we expect any time soon specific terrorism activity in united states and in russia. do you think it was useful? did you ask and get specific commitments for renewal of sanction against russia? thank you. >> translator: let me talk to you about the question on libya. i will repeat what i said. obviously all countries in this region are countries interested in looking and finding, looking for and finding a solution barring none. we appreciate the work that certain countries are finally doing in the mediterranean area, northern africa starting with