Defines us as diverse and democratic societies. Finally, i want to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate david on last months stormont house agreement. It is a tribute to the courage and determination of everyone involved, especially the leaders of northern ireland, and the governments of ireland and the United Kingdom. The u. S. Was pleased to play a small role in achieving this agreement. We will keep doing what we need to do to support the Peace Process and the Better Future for the people of northern ireland. Let me turn it over to my good friend, david cameron. Thank you very much, barack and thank you again for welcoming me to the white house. You are a great friend to britain and to me personally. As leaders, we share the same values. As you said, on so many issues we see the world in the same way. Most of the time we speak the same language. [laughter] in the last six years since he became president and in the nearly five since i have been Prime Minister, we faced big issues on our watch. Those challenges have boiled down to one word, security. Economic security, the jobs and Living Standards of our citizens, and National Security, the ability of our peoples to live safely and in peace. At the heart of both issues are the values that are countries cherish. Freedom of expression, rule of law, and our democratic institutions. Those are the things that make both our countries strong and which give us confidence that even in the midst of the most violent storms, with strong leadership we will come through to safer, calmer, and brighter days. During your presidency you have had to deal with the aftermath of a massive banking crisis and the recession. When i became Prime Minister britain had the highest budget deficit in its peacetime history. Our economy was in grave peril. Five years ago we had 110,000 troops serving together in afghanistan. Thanks to their efforts, today it is Afghan Forces taking responsibility for security in their country. But we continue to face difficult times for the world. We have to deal with the warning lights flashing in the global economy. Weak growth in the eurozone, slowdown in emerging markets that is why it is vital for our shared prosperity that we both stick to the longterm economic plans that we set out. We agreed that 2015 should be a pivotal year for an ambitious and comprehensive euu. S. Trade deal that could benefit the average household and britain by 400 pounds a year. The uk is now the top destination for american and foreign investment, with 500 projects last year providing 32,000 jobs. America is the u. K. s biggest trade partner. Our message on the Economy Today is simple. We are going to stick to the course. Seeing through our economic plans is the only Sustainable Way to create jobs, raise Living Standards, and secure a Better Future for hardworking people. Britain and america both face threats to our National Security from people who hate what our countries stand for and who are determined to do us harm. In recent weeks we have seen appalling attacks in paris, in nigeria. The world is sickened by this terrorism. We will not be standing alone in this fight. We know what were up against. We know how we will win. We face a poisonous and fanatical ideology that wants to pervert one of the worlds major religions, islam, and create conflict, terror, and death. With our allies we are confronted whenever it appears. The uk is the secondlargest contributor to the antiisil coalition. Antiaircraft have conducted over 100 strikes and will continue to play a leading role. We will deploy additional intelligence and surveillance assets to help iraqi forces on the ground. Most important of all, we must also fight this poisonous ideology starting at home. In the uk we are passing a law so that every public audit must combat extremism. Body must combat extremism. In europe, russia has chosen to tear up the international rulebook and trample over the affairs of a sovereign state. This threatens our stability and prosperity. It is important that every country understands that, and that no one in europe forgets our history. We cannot walk on by. We will continue to put pressure on russia to resolve this crisis diplomatically. At the same time we will continue our efforts to support ukraine on the path of reform, including with financial assistance. The reaffirm our obligations as nato partners to stand by our allies. We will be to beating an additional thousand troops for exercises in eastern europe. We are committed to ensuring that iran cannot develop a Nuclear Weapon. The best way to achieve that now is to create a space for negotiations to succeed. We should not impose further sanctions now. That would be counterproductive, and it could put at risk the valuable International Unity that has been so crucial to our approach. We also have to keep pace with new threats such as cyberattacks. We have today agreed to deepen our Cyber Security cooperation to better protect ourselves. Finally, we face the entire world faces a growing threat from diseases. Today our fight is against ebola. In the future it could be against a global flu pandemic. Through our action in sierra leone, the u. S. Action in liberia, france, and ginny, we are beginning to turn the corner. But we must get better at are spawning to these Global Health emergencies and make sure we can master them before they master responding to these Global Health emergencies and make sure we can master them before they master us. A new International Platform to stimulate the design and development of new drugs all of these things are needed. Let 2015, the gear we must crack ebola, also be the year we tackle extreme property poverty and climate change. We must set goals to eradicate extreme poverty. On climate change, we want an outcome in paris that keeps our goal of limiting Global Warming by 2050 by 2 degrees in reach. Those two things have the potential to give security to future generations to come. For almost two centuries, after those difficulties we were discussing earlier, america and britain have stood as candidates. In defending our freedoms and advancing our shared prosperity. Today as we survey a world in flux, our alliance stands strong, rooted in its long history, and reinvigorated by the challenges we face today. If our forebears could join us in the white house today, they might find the challenges we are facing, from isil to ebola cyber terrorism to banking crisis they might find those hard to comprehend, but they would surely recognize the ties that i does across the atlantic and the values that are peoples hold so dear. We have stood together so often, not just because we faced, and threats, but because we fundamentally believe in the same things. That is as true today as it has always been. It usually benefits are countries and the people we are here to serve hugely benefits our countries and the people we are here to serve. We will take a few countries questions. Jonathan of abc. You mentioned your opposition to the sanctions bill on iran. This is a bipartisan bill supported by some very senior top members of your own party and congress. Why do you oppose a bill that would only impose sanctions if you fail to reach an agreement and if the iranians failed to agree to take steps to curtail their nuclear program. Would you go so far as to detail a bill supported by Top Democrats in congress on this issue . To mr. Prime minister, i understand you have been making phone calls to senators on this issue of the iran sanctions bill. Is that correct . Are you lobbying the u. S. Congress on this . Mr. President , i would like to hear your reaction to the news that mitt romney is running for president again. On your last question [laughter] i have no comment. [laughter] on your first question, when i came into office i made a commitment that iran would not obtain a Nuclear Weapon, that we could do everything we could to prevent that. That is important for our security and important for the worlds security. If iran obtains a Nuclear Weapon, it would trigger an arms race in the middle east, make our job in terms of preventing proliferation of Nuclear Materials much more difficult. Given their missile capabilities, it would threaten directly our closest allies, including israel, and ultimately could threaten us. What we did was systematically with the help of congress, construct the most forceful, most effective sanctions regime in modern history. What was remarkable was that when i came into office, the world was divided around this issue. Iran was united. Through some very strong diplomatic work, we united the world and isolated iran. It is because of that work that we brought them to the negotiating table not for posturing, not for meetings that lead nowhere, but to a very hardnosed nuts and bolts discussion of their nuclear program. Their interim deal we entered into also froze progress on their nuclear program, rolled back in some cases the stockpiles of material they had already accumulated, and provided us insight into their program that was unprecedented. We have people on the ground who are able to verify and inspect and tell us what exactly is going on. Thats not just our assessment. That is the assessment of Intelligence Services around the world, including the israelis. The agreement is held and negotiations have been serious. We have not lost ground. Iran has not accelerated its program during the time these negotiations have taken place. Irans program has not only been in abeyance, but we have actually made gains in rolling back some of the stockpiles they had. We have on the table currently a series of negotiations over the next several months to determine whether or not iran can get the yes. What has been remarkable is the unity we have maintained with the world in isolating iran and forcing them to negotiate in a serious way. The p5 1 not only includes china, but russia. They have continued to cooperate with us and setting forth positions that would give us assurances that iran was not developing a Nuclear Weapon. I have always said that the chances that we can actually get a diplomatic deal of probably less than 50 50. Iran is a regime that is deeply suspicious of the west, deeply suspicious of us. In the past they have surreptitiously as secretly advanced aspects of this program. We have huge differences with them on a whole range of issues. But, if in fact we still have an opportunity to get a diplomatic deal that provides us verifiable assurances that they are not developing a Nuclear Weapon, that is the best possible outcome that we can arrive at right now. The question i have for members of congress, including those folks in my own party, is why is it that we would have to take actions that might jeopardize the possibility of getting a deal over the next 60 to 90 days . What is it precisely that is going to be accomplished . I can tell you what the risks are. I think david shares my assessment here. Under the interim deal that brought iran to the table, we were not supposed to initiate new sanctions. You will hear our arguments. These technically arent new sanctions, they are simply laws putting in place the possibility of additional sanctions. Asher you that is not how i assure you that is not how iran or our partners would interpret it. The likelihood of the entire negotiations collapse is very high. If that happens, there is no constraints on iran going back and doing what they came to do before they came to the table, developing a heavy water reactor that once built it extraordinarily difficult to dismantle, and very difficult to hit militarily. Going back at underground facilities that are very hard to reach militarily, accelerating advanced centrifuges that shorten the time span in which they can achieve breakout capacity. And they would be able to maintain the reason they ended negotiations was because the United States was operating in bad faith and blew up the deal. There would be some sympathy to that view around the world which means the sanctions we have in place now would potentially fray, because imposing those sanctions are a hardship on a number of countries around the world trade world. They would love to be able to buy iranian oil. The reason they have hung in there is because we have shown that we are credibly trying to solve this problem and avert a military showdown. On that context, there is no good argument for us to try to undercut, undermine the negotiations until they have played themselves out. He if if iran and sub not being able to say yes, if they cannot provide us the kind of assurances ends up not being able to say yes, if they cannot provide us the kind of assurances to conclude they are not obtaining a Nuclear Weapon we will have to explore other options. I will be the first one to come to congress and say we need to tighten the screws. Thats not the only options that will be available. I have consistently said we leave all options on the table. Congress should be aware that if this diplomatic solution fails the risks and likelihood that this ends up being a military confrontation is heightened. Congress will have to own that as well. That will have to be debated by the American People. We may not be able to rebuild the kind of coalition we need in that context if the world believes we were not serious about negotiations. I take this very seriously. I dont question the good faith of some folks who think this might be helpful. It is my team that is at the table. We are deep in this stuff day in and day out. We all make judgments blindly. We have been working on this for 5, 6, 7 years. We consult closely with allies like the United Kingdom and making those assessments. Im asking congress to hold off because our negotiators, our partners, those who arm most are are most intimately involved in this, suggest it will jeopardize the possibility of resolving providing a diplomatic solution to one of the most difficult and long lasting National Security problems that we have faced in a very long time. Congress needs to show patience. With respect to the veto, i said to my Democratic Caucus colleagues yesterday that i will veto a bill that comes to my desk. I will make this argument to the American People. I respectfully request them to hold off for a few months to see if we have the possibility of solving a big problem without resorting potentially to war. I think that is worth doing. We will see how persuasive i am. If im not persuaded in congress, i will be taking my case to the American People on this. The big picture is very clear. The sanctions that america and the European Union put in place have had an effect. That has led to pressure. That pressure has led to talks. I would argue with the president , how much better is that than the other potential outcomes. That is what we should be focusing on. I have contacted a couple of senators this morning. I may speak to one or two more this afternoon. Simply to make the point as a country that stands alongside america in these vital negotiations, that is the opinion of the United Kingdom that further sanctions or further threat of sanctions at this point wont actually help to bring the talks to a successful conclusion, and they could fracture the International Unity there has been, which has been so valuable in presenting a united front to iran. I say this as someone who played quite a strong role in getting europe to sign up to the very tough sanctions. I would make the point that those sanctions have had an effect. To those who said if you do an interim deal, if you even start discussing any of these things the sanctions will fall apart. The pressure will dissipate. No one will be able to stick at it. That has been shown not to be true. The pressure is still there. As the president says, if the iranians say no and there is no deal, lets sit down and work out whatever sanctions to put in place. We are absolutely united in a simple thought which is a deal that takes iran away from a Nuclear Weapon is better than either iran having a Nuclear Weapon or action to prevent it. It comes down to that simple choice. I think the way the president put it, i would not disagree with. Its very hard to know what the iranian thinking is about this. Im the first british minister in 35 years to meet with and iranian president. There is a very clear offer there which is to take iran away from a Nuclear Weapon and to conclude an agreement with them which would be mutually beneficial. A question from Nick Robinson of the bbc. A Prime Minister with extra security being put in place today for the Jewish Community and also Police Officers. Would people be right to conclude that the threats of an attack on the streets of britain is almost imminent . Mr. President , you have spoken of the threat posed by fighters coming back from syria. Do you ever worry that this is a legacy of the decision of the United Kingdom to stand on the sidelines during syrias civil war . If i may briefly on the economy, you say he you agree is it time to stick to the plan . We do face a very serious islamist extremist threat in europe, america, across the world. It have to be incredibly vigilant in terms of that threat. Weve got to strengthen police and security. Weve got to do everything we can to ke