thermabe more special forces on the ground to help identify isis targets there as well, and also sort of a lessening of the rules of engagement that may mean more civilian casualties as well. here comes the president of the united states, lester. >> all right. peter alexander, thank you. >> please be seated. president hollande, it has been an honor to welcome you to the white house before in happier times than this, but as americans we stand by our friends in good times and in bad, no matter what. so on behalf of the american people i want to once again express our deepest condolences

france for the heinous attacks that took place in paris. we're here today to declare that the united states and france stand united, in total solidarity, to deliver justice to these terrorists and those who sent them and to defend our nations. in that spirit with heavy but strong hearts i welcome you here today. francois, with your understanding, my statement today will be a little longer than usual. i've been traveling, and this is an important moment for our nations and for the world. this barbaric terrorist group, isil or daesh and its murderous ideology pose a serious threat to all of us. it cannot be tolerated. it must be destroyed, and we must do it together. this is the unity of purpose

sometimes we americans are are too shy to say say. we dedicate ourselves to the same ideals. but all people deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. france is our oldest ally. you helped us win our independence. we helped liberate france from fascism. we are freedom to each other. wii love france for your spirit and culture. since the attacks, americans have recalled their own business to paris visiting the eiffel tower or walking along.

woven into the fabric of our lives and our culture. i am very thankful for the french people who have shown hospitality to me and when they welcomed michelle and our daughters to the city of lights. by my bed in the residence is a picture of me and michelle in luxembourg gardens kissing. those are the americans we have of paris. so when tragedy struck that evening our hearts broke too. in that stadium and concert hall and those residents and cafes we see our own. in the face of the french people, we see ourselves. that's why so many americans have embraced the blue, white,

that's why americans have candlelight vigils have joined together to sing marseilles. today we stand with you. [speaking foreign language] it has been noted that the terrorist did not direct their attacks against the french government or military, rather focused their violence on the very spirit of france. by extension on all liberal democracies, this was an attack on our free and open societies. where people come together to celebrate and sing and compete. in targeting venues where people come together from around the world, killing citizens of nearly 20 countries, including america. this was an attack on the very idea that people of different races, religions and backgrounds

can live together in peace. in short, this was not only a strike against one of the world's great cities, it was an attack against the world itself. it's the same madness that slaughtered the innocent from nigeria, the sinai, lebanon, to iraq. it skour g e that threatens all of us. that is why for a year, the united states, france, and our coalition of 65 nations have been united in one mission, to destroy these isil terrorists and defeat their vial ideology. today president hollande and i reviewed our coalition's progress. more than 8,000 air strikes, combined with local partners on the ground, have pushed isil back from territory in both iraq and syria.

even more together. u.s. assistance has supported wra syria. and we're going to keep stepping up that coordination. as we saw with the attack in mali, the terror threat goes beyond isil. this week legislation was signed to sustain our support, including airlift and intelligence to allies like france as we work together to africa. we will do even more to prevent attacks at home. building on our recent intelligence agreement, the united states will quickly share threat information with france. and in the wake of paris and the threats in belgium, there is a growing recognition that they need to ramp up against the flow of terrorist fighters. as part of that, i'm calling on the european union to finally

implement requiring airlines to share passenger information so we can do more to stop foreign terrorist fighters from entering our countries undetected. i am prepared to send teams of our experts to work on this with our european partners to make sure we are redoubling our efforts together. regarding the broader crisis in syria, president hollande and i agreed that russia's strikes against the moderate opposition only bolster the assad regime, fueling the rise of isil. we agree that russia could play a more constructive role if it were to shift the focus of its strike to defeating isil. and likewise, president hollande and i agree the best way to bring peace in syria, requiring active russian support for a cease-fire and political

transition away from assad to a dramly-elected government that can unite the syrian people against terrorism. finally, francois and i understand one of our greatest weapons in the fight against isil, the strength and resilience of our people. and here i want to speak directly to the american people. what happened in paris is truly horrific. i understand the people worry something similar can happen here. i want you to know that we will continue to do everything in our power to defend our nation. since 9/11, we have taken extraordinary measures to strengthen our homeland security. our counterterrorism, homeland security, and law enforcement professionals, federal, state, local, they are tireless. they have prevented attacks and they have saved lives.

they are working every hour, every day for our security. they did so before paris, they do so now, and they will not stop. they're the best in the world. but it's not just our security professionals who will defeat isil and other terrorist groups. as americans, we all have a role to play in how we respond to threats. groups like isil cannot defeat us on the battle field. they try to terrorize us at home. against soft targets, against civilians, against innocent people. even as we're vigilant, we cannot and we will not succumb to fear. neuer can we allow fear to divide us. because that's how terrorists win. we cannot give them the victory of changing how we go about

the good news is americans are resilient. we mourned the lives lost at ft. hood, the boston marathon, chattanooga chattanooga. but we did not waiver. our communities have come together. we have gone to ball games, concerts, shopping. and men and women who want to serve our cup continue to go to military recruiting offices. we're vigilant. we take precautions. but we go about our business. for those who want to harm us, our actions have shown too much resolve and too much character. americans will not be terrorized. i say all of this because another part of being vigilant,

terrorists like isil, is upholding the rights and freedoms that define our two great republics. that includes freedom of religion. that includes equality before the law. there have been times in our history in moments of fear when we have failed to uphold our highest ideals. and it has been to our lasting regret. we must uphold our ideals now. each of us, all of us, must show that america is strengthened by people of every faith and background. related to this, i want to notice that the president of france hollande plans to welcome 30,000 additional refugees from syria in the next two years. here in the united states, refugees coming to america go through up to two years of

intense security checks, including biometric screening. nobody who sets foot in america goes through more screening than refugees. and we're prepared to share these tools with france and our european partners. as francois as said, our hue man tear duty to help desperate refugees and our duty to security, those duties go hand in hand. on the statue of liberty, a gift from the people of france, there are words we know so well. give me your tired, your poor, yearning to be free. that's the spirit that makes us american. that's the spirit that binds us to france. that's the spirit we need today. in closing, i want to salute the

world how to stay strong in the face of terrorism. even as they grieve, as they return to their cafes, riding the metro, going to stadiums to cheer for their teams, crowds gathered in the plaza dele republic, included a mother who brought her children who said we shall let them see we will not be afraid. as one parisian said, paris will always be paris. and next week i will be joining president hollande and world leaders in paris for the global climate conference. what a powerful rebuke to the terrorists it will be when the world stands as one and show we will not be deterred from building a better future for our

children. so president hollande, my fellow americans, let's remember we faced greater threats to our way of life before. war war, a second, a cold war. each and every time we we prevailed because our way of life is stronger. because we stay united. because even as we were relentless in the face of evil, we draw on what's best in ourselves. and in the character of our countries. it will be no different this time. make no mistake, we will win and groups like isil will lose. and standing with allies like france, we will continue to show the world the best of american

leadership. viva la france and god bless the united states of america. mr. president. >> translator: ladies and gentlemen, please allow me first of all, to thank the president of the united states president obama. for solidarity he has shown during the terror attacks. he was the first one to call me. it was very late in france. 2:00 a.m. when barack called. the president of the united states. he suppressed his solidarity towards france, his emotion and his passion. and on that night he managed to

stood by france that the help that could be provided to france would have no limit and that we had a duty to put our forces together and fight terrorism. i did not forget either all of the messages that the american people sent to the french people in the past few days. the french colors, the french flag, many gatherings, candles in places that represent france here in the united states, the marseille marseille, the official ceremony. it is thaerd that in 9/11 we

with all felt american. but on the 13th of november, americans felt france. two nations merged together as one sharing the same emotion and fighting for freedom to fight for our values. we each have our own history. we have our own cultures, our own backgrounds. we share the same trust. the same face in freedom. it is france that came under attack on the 13th of november. france, for what it is, the country which we consider unique in the world because france came under attack for what it represents, for what it stands for.

values, our principles. but by targeting france the terrorists, the murderers were targeting the world. in these restaurants, these cafes, as well as the bataclan certified venue they were men and women, most of them young, who came from 20 countries at least. and they shared the same passion for life. and that's the reason they were murdered. my thoughts are with the friends and family of the young american student nohemi gonzalez who came to share in joy. this american band was playing

our culture on that occasion were together to bring the same enthusiasm and they were hit by terrorists. we are facing the terror group which organized itself on the territory territory. they are smuggling, drugs, human beings. and since the beginning of the year they hit many countries, asia, lebanon, kuwait, turkey, egypt, as well as russia by taking down a russian plane. so together with president obama, today we wanted on the

occasion of that meeting first of all, to share, share our determination, relentless determination to fight terrorism everywhere and anywhere. we also meant to tell the world that we will not allow those who want to destroy what we built. we will not allow them to do it. to destroy what we have built generation after generation. we will not be able to damage the world. and we need a joint response. france and the united states band together to bring that joint response. it is about no matter where they are it is about taking out their financing, hedging down their leaders, dismantling their

land they currently control. we decided, president obama and myself, to take up both syria and iraq to broaden their scope, to strengthen our intelligent sharing regarding the targets we must a mass. the priority is to take back two locations in syria. it is also a matter of urgency to close the borders between turkey and syria and prevent terrorists from crossing the border and coming to europe or other places and take touch attacks. and the decision to work together with our partners of the coalition in iraq and support all of those who are fighting da'esh on the ground.

the aim is to make sure these forces can be supported, helped by all the countries that are willing to act military to destroy da'esh. the solicitation of the security council that was voted unanimously friday after being introduced by france and assisted by the united states, this coalition provided the basis to act. this is what france is currently doing. aircraft carrier on the east of mediterranean and others to enjoy more accountability. after the terror attacks with france in raqqah. we have provided some assistance into iraqi fighters inmadi

and mosul. we have strengthened our cooperation as early as the night of the attack. and i would like to commend everything that has been done so that intelligence and information available can be used to tackle terrorists and to follow their movement so that we prevent from doing what they wanted. beyond sorry kra and iraq, what they want is somehow to spread fear everywhere so that we doubt, so that we make decisions which are exactly contrary to what we want in terms of freedom and rights. but we will not give n. that being said, we have to defend ourselves and use intelligence. diplomatically, we're working on

in syria and i commend the work done bibi senator kerry to agree a timeline that will enable a cease-fire as quick as possible and to open up and what will departure departure. we cannot imagine getting together, gathering the leader who is responsible for some of the most 300,000 dead in a few years. that must lead to assad's departure. the syrian crisis is directly relevant to europe. first of all, given the tract. but also because there are

millions of refugees fleeing the regime's bombs and atrocities. if we were to abandon them we would betray what we are. this is the reason why i reject identifying migration and terrorism. we must control the borders. today people are risking their lives to flee. when they travel between turkey and greece. turkey, therefore, plays an important role. it is together with turkey that without refugees can stay close to their country of origin. and we need to make sure that the required controls and checks

on thursday i will be traveling putin. i will tell him france can-can work with russia if russia concentrates its military action on da'esh, against isil, and if russia fully commits to the condition in syria. this is what we want to do. we want to gather all countries, all those who are willing to find a political decision in syria. we do not want to exclude anyone, but we want to make sure this political solution can eradicate terrorism. lastly, next week, that is on monday, we will be hosting in paris a climate conference. i certainly could not imagine

background. at the same time, i think they cannot be any better symbol or response but to hold the conference in paris where the attacks took place, where we took the right measures in terms of security, protections and defending our values. there is no greater symbol than holding this conference on climate change in paris with some 150 heads of state and government. never before did france close so many leaders of the international community. they are coming to hold up the climate challenge and to work and to find the right agreement so we can limit greenhouse gas

children and grandchildren live better or simply can live. but they are also coming to express their support to freedom, to the fight against extremism. that radical islam which is becoming dangerous. yes, all of them are coming no matter their background, no matter religion for the same principles, same values, same work, life. yes, simply life. and this is the reason why i'm very pleased that president obama will allow us to succeed. i commend his recent statements

commend that the commitment he has made in the united states as well as in the name of the world. it was very important that one of the most powerful countries in the world, if not the most powerful and therefore with the highest level of admission, could also be there. to face the future like we faced in history. what we will be doing early next week in paris means we can continue to protect our lives and prepare that of all children. france and the united states, given their history, and the values, family valuation of both

our nation, we both have that duty to act as matter of urgency against terrorism and against da'esh and at the same time to prepare for the future. against that background, even though it is very dire, i am pleased to be with barack obama to send that message to the entire world. thank you. >> we have time for a few questions. i'm going to start with roberta rantum with reuters. >> this is a question for both of first. what is your reaction to russia shooting down a turkey plane today? how do you keep this from spiraling on it of control? what does this incident mean for future prospects of military coordination, more military coordination with russia, president obama? president hollande, ahead what

are the prospects for closer military coordination with russia given what happened today? >> well first of all, we're still getting the details of what happened. and i expect to be in communications potentially directly with erdoan the next several days. they have the right to defend turkey and its airspace. it is important to make sure the russians and turks are talk to go each other, find out exactly what happened, and take measures to discourage any kind of escalation. i do think that this points to an ongoing problem with the russian operations in the sense

close to a turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported by not only turk where turkey but a wide range of countries. if they are directing understand towards da'esh and isil, some of those conflicts, or potentials for mistakes or escalation are less likely to occur. i also think this underscores the importance of us making sure tract forward as quickly as possible. like president hollande, our view from the start has been that russia is welcomed to be part of this broad based coalition we set up. there has never been a point in time in which we said we don't want russia or other countries that man differences with us and

avoid working with us against isil. the challenge has been russia's focus on propping up assad rather than focusing on isil. i had a conversation with president putin in turkey, and i indicated to him at the time that to the extent they make that strategic shift, focus on the vienna process where they had been constructed to try to bring all the parties together, try to execute a political transition that all parties would agree to and refocus attention on going after isil. then there's enormous capacity for us to cooperate. until that happens, it's very difficult. it's difficult because if their priority is attacking a moderate opposition that might be future

to get the support of us or a range of other members of the coalition. but i do think that there is the possibility of cooperation. the sooner we agree to this political process the less likely that you have the kinds of events that took place apparently today. >> translator: the event that took place is a serious one. and we can only regret it. turkey is currently providing all the information to nato so that we can find out what really happened and whether turkey's airspace, indeed, was entered

into. but we must prevent an escalation that would be extremely damageable. against terrorism and da'esh. which is what we must do, all of us. we, turkey, russia, and what took place, like barack said, means that we must find a solution to the syrian crisis. a because we can see what the rates are, the rates of it will be trouble i will be traveling to russia because we have this resolution of the security council and it does show we must take action against da'esh, against terrorism.

unanimously in a way with a broader responsible coalition. then i will ask president putin, as i have done before a number of times already, that the strikes must be against da'esh, against terrorism. and those who are threatening us, they are threatening russia, like ourselves in europe. like france that were targeted the past few takes. we must therefore coordinate ourselves, cooperate. but on that basis and make sure we are all acting against da'esh. and that is part of the political process. we all know what the leaders of

we know that there is a deadlock today. lastly, i mentioned the aircraft carrier in the mediterranean now. as a matter of fact, there are also some russian forces. and therefore with president putin that we must share our intelligence so that we can act in coordination. we must not control it ourselves. this is already the case and we will continue to do so. >> translator: mr. president, the americans have special forces in syria. beyond the words and beyond what is happening, are you going to send special forces as well to syria? are you considering some ground intervention there? mr. president, beyond the emotion that we can feel here,

statements, for more than a year we heard all of you say that a political concession is necessary in syria. mr. president, can you today here in front of us, tell us a specific date, a deadline for us to go? >> you said president. we have two presidents here. i don't need a translation. >> translator: i will not provide you with a date because it might be as soon as possible. that is one of the requirements of the solution to be found. but at the same time, allow me

to underline something. there is a new mind-set now. the crisis has been ongoing for four years, four years. there are probably more than 300,000 deaths. and this is not just relevant to the countries of the region it is relevant to europe and the entire world now with that issue of refugees. and those who believe that we can wait some more and that in any case it was far away, they now realize that we have an influx of refugees. but the terrorists, the risk is everywhere due to da'esh. we therefore must act. you also asked me what we were

going to do, what more. we will in turn have strikes. we will have more specific targets to make sure that da'esh resources, their means, are cut off. including their command centers, the trucks carrying oil, the training centers where they prepare terror attacks. we will continue and we will continue our air strikes in the heart of the cities which are currently in the hands of da'esh. france will not intervene militarily on the ground. the local forces will do so. we have been supporting them for a number of months. we will continue to do so. and they will do the job on the ground after we have strikes that will enable them to do so. it will take its support which is absolutely

necessary. >> let me just make a couple of broader comments about the operations against isil. as was already indicated, we have taken thousands of strikes, taken thousands of isil fighters, including top commanders and leaders, off the battle field. we have squeezed their supply lines. we have empowered and armed local groups that are pushing against them, including most recently in accept jar. the iraqi government prepare to retake place like ramadi, which has been overrun. we have seen some success. but the question now is how can we accelerate it?

in fact, even before the tragedy in paris, i gathered together my national security forces. it had been a year. to review where we had made progress, what worked, what did and had put together a plan to accelerate and advance the pressure that we can place on isil. and we intend to execute on those plans, but we also think, as francois said, there may be new openness on the part of other coalition members to help resource and provide additional entrance to the coalition as a whole and the local forces on the ground. with respect to mr. assad i think we've got to let the vienna process play itself out. it is our best opportunity. and so, you know, the notion that there would be an immediate date in advance of us getting a

details, i think it doesn't make sense. as soon as we have a framework for political transition, potentially a new constitution, elections, it's in that context we can start looking at mr. potentially seeing a new syria emerge. but it is going to be hard. and we should not be under any illusions. syria has broken down. it began to break down the moment that mr. assad started killing indiscriminately his own people. isil was able to behalf into raqqah in part of a thorough rejection on the part of many

syrians in the outside regime. and a power vacuum emerged. and it is going to be a difficult, long, methodical process to bring back together various factions within syria to maintain a syrian state and institutions and to create the people to start coming back in and rebuilding their lives. but it's possible. and the urgency that we have seen even before paris out of countries like russia indicate they recognize they can't be there too long and ultimately win a military battle successfully. >> thank you, mr. president. [speaking foreign language]

can you tell us whether the russian plane reached airspace and how concerned are you there might be a military component epbt in in turkey and inside syria. >> translator: mr. president, regarding the measures we announced today when it comes to military intelligence, you will think they will enable us to prevent further terror attacks? >> we don't have all the information yet, so i don't want to comment on all the specifics. we expect the turks to provide information. i'm sure the russians will have and we'll be able to confirm what happened in part through our own intelligence and our own tracking that border area.

priority is going to be to ensure this does not escalate. and hopefully this is a moment in which all parties can step back and make a determination how their interests are best the russians had several hundred people of their own killed by isil. and the flow of foreign fighters out of russian areas into syria poses an enormous long-threat to russian territory. so there is a potential convergence of interests between the various parties. it requires us working with them to make the kind of strategic shift that is necessary. frankly, talked to putin about for five years now.

it requires a recognition that the existing structure cannot gain the legitimacy to stop the war. and until you stop the war, you're going to have a vacuum in which these kind of terrorist organizations can operate more effectively. let me say one last thing, because i tracked the question that you posed to president hollande about what could or could not have been prevented. all of our intelligence personnel here in the united states, across the atlantic, work tirelessly, as i said earlier, to disrupt plots and prevent terrorist attacks. the vast majority of their successes in disrupting plots are not advertised. you never hear about them. but were not for the dedication of those intelligence and law

professionals this would be a much more dangerous world. so you have to be careful about speculating about what if and could have and would have in a situation like this. because it's hard. you have eight individuals with light weapons. that's a hard thing to track. what is true, though, is that we can do a better job i think coordinating between countries. and i've been talking to our european partners for quite some time now about the need for better intelligence sharing, passenger name records, working to ensure that when people enter into europe, particularly now, that the information across various borders is shared on a timely basis.

and you have biometric information and other technologies that can make it more accurate. it doesn't mean it's always going to be 100% foolproof, but we can do better on those fronts. and one of the challenges has been, frankly, in the past several years, you had different legal positions, concerns about privacy, all of which are entirely legitimate. i don't think those can be ignored now. they are part of the values that make us who we are and that we have to adhere to. but i do think this is a remind er that this is a dangerous world. working on out small bands of

good operational security and are using modern technologies in ways that are hard to track, that is a tough job. we will have to pull our resours much more effectively together than we have in the past. and i think when francois goes back to europe, his leadership, the leadership of other presidents and prime ministers around this issue will be as important as anything that we do. >> translator: and i will go back to what it is truly is. it is somehow an organization, a terrorist group occupying a

killing. and they want to enforce rules. but dishonor humanity. this is what da'esh is doing there. and this is what they are trying to do of other countries everywhere. and we have to deal with the number of networks, more or less organized in other countries being used to lead terror attacks like was the case in paris. we know that they had dreadful plans in syria and then organized in a number of

countries. and given some of theirs are french. those who committed the acts of war. so we want to tackle terrorism. we must act not only to destroy da'esh where they are in syria, in iraq, but we must also dismantle and destroy their networks. how can we proceed? well, first of all, militarily by intensifying our strikes by taking back these territories thanks to the local forces on the ground which we can support by finding political position in syria by making sure that the integrity of iraq. this is what we can do. when it comes to protection measures, to protect our

is what i announce in france. this is what we have to do to aoe rad indicate these networks. and all of these phreusz and those who were present. some of them just arrived. others have been there for a long time. and they are not necessarily identified as a threat. it is therefore necessary that we strengthen further our cooperation in terms of intelligence. the paris attacks generated a lot of emotion. but that's not enough. compassion, solidarity, i take note of it. but we must act. and for a number of days now i have been trying to convince -- convincing all the countries that can act to do so. i met with david cameron

he announced that he would take a number of measures to his parliament. that is important. today i'm here with barack so is that we can act with greater intensity and coherence as well. tomorrow will be german chancellor angela merkel, so countries, including germany, can face up to their responsibility in terms of intelligence and police cooperation and maybe more. and we will also travel to moscow so that russia can take action against da'esh. and then we will receive renzi the italian government, given

with turkey, will be held on sunday. so it is all of us that get-together and enable us to act on da'esh and the networks that we can use. it is that that will enable us to succeed. both of you today have talked about coordination, corporation against da'esh. does it mean a single coalition which you mentioned last week, president hollande, that it is in conceivable to have the russians and americans to work under a single command. and assad, you said you cannot

is that not a prerequisite for the future of syria? >> translator: regarding the coalition of international community, i believe that the coalition is approved by all the security council enabled us to say that now the entire world is committed to fighting against da'esh. then, and this is what i will check when i travel to moscow. one single goal that is to tackle terrorism and fight against da'esh, militarily, and i believe that we can have some cooperation and coordination militarily to do more, at the same time we have to be the one that will enable us to find

we can repeat it, bashar al assad cannot be the future in syria. in vienna we are already working with all the countries, even though not necessarily they do not have the same, turkey, the united states, france, and of course all of those who are meant to find a solution that we must work on that transition. the transition where bashar al assad plays no role. he has been the problem, so he cannot be the solution. >> just so comment very quickly. we've got a coalition of 65 countries. who have been active in pushing back against isil for quite some

france has been a central part of that coalition, as have the european countries, arab countries, countries as far flung as australia and countries in southeast asia are part of that coalition. russia right now is a coalition of two. iran and russia supporting assad. given russia's military capabilities and given the influence they have on the assad regime, them cooperating would be enormously helpful in bringing about a resolution of the civil war in syria and allow us all to refocus our attention on isil. but i think it's important to

global coalition organized. russia is the outlier. we hope that they refocus their attention on what is the most substantial threat and that they serve as a constructive partner. and if and when they do, it will make it easier for us to go after isil and da'esh. although i think it's also important to recognize that the kinds of air strikes that they are carrying out, just like the kinds we are carrying out in and of themselves are not sufficient. and the work that we do to bolster local fighting forces, the cutting off of supply lines, financing, oil, reducing the flow of foreign fighters, the intelligence work that needs to