Getting Tough: Obama and Sarkozy Find Common Ground on Iran

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US President Barack Obama has been accused of not doing enough to nurture his relationships with foreign politicians and of being too reserved and business-like when he speaks with European politicians. But now, no one can say that he hasn't made his best effort.

On Tuesday, Obama met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a man who has generally rubbed him the wrong way, at the White House. But then, after talking with Sarkozy in the Oval Office for about an hour, Obama stood on the podium with him, addressing him as his "dear friend" and welcoming French journalists with a "bienvenue." He said how much he and first lady Michelle Obama were "looking forward" to dinner with Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, that evening and stressed that France is the US's "oldest ally and one of our closest."

Sarkozy smiled and returned the compliment, saying that all of the rumors about troubles in the trans-Atlantic relationship are media inventions. Speaking through a translator, Sarkozy praised Obama's candor and reliability. "His word is his bond," Sarkozy said, "and that is important. No surprises. When he can, he delivers. When he can't, he says so."

Bridging Their Differences

In fact, the meeting gave the impression that the two leaders are in the same boat when it comes to a number of issues, not least of which is Iran's nuclear program. "I'm not interested in waiting months for a sanctions regime to be in place," Obama said. "I'm interested in seeing that regime in place in weeks."

Sarkozy backed Obama's position, stating that Iran could not be allowed to continue with this "mad race." He added that it was high time that the UN Security Council made a decision on new sanctions against Tehran. And Sarkozy assured Obama that France "will make all the necessary efforts to ensure that Europe as a whole engages in the sanctions regime."

Sarkozy is pushing hard for sanctions to be implemented more quickly and, in recent months, he has often demanded that Iran be dealt with in a harder way. In fact, he has been unhappy about how Obama has placed the issue within the context of promoting his idealistic vision of a world free of nuclear arms rather than focusing on specific efforts to keep them out of Iranian hands. In September, for example, at a meeting of the UN Security Council hosted by Obama, Sarkozy chided him, saying: "We live in a real world, not a virtual world ... and the real world expects us to take decisions."

Russia and China, in particular, continue to hamper attempts to get the Security Council to impose stiffer sanctions on Iran. But Paris and Washington now appear to have decided to not allow their efforts to be stymied for much longer. Still, at a meeting of G-8 foreign ministers held in Ottawa earlier this week, diplomats failed to agree on pursuing a hard line against Tehran. According to sources involved in the talks, Russia was the country that did the most to impede such efforts.

Afghanistan and the Refueling Tanker Kerfuffle

More surprising that the unanimity on Iran were the strong words Sarkozy spoke in Washington about the war in Afghanistan, where almost 4,000 French soldiers are serving. The French deployment there is extremely unpopular at home, which has deterred Sarkozy from sending further soldiers to the country.

"Defeat would be too high a price for the security of Americans, the French and the Europeans," Sarkozy said Tuesday. "By fighting in Afghanistan, what we are fighting for is world security."

Still, it would appear that Sarkozy is unwilling to back his rhetoric with action. Obama apparently opted not to press him on this matter during their meeting Tuesday. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs assured reporters ahead of the meeting that any request for more troops was simply not "on the table."

The two leaders were even friendly when the conversation turned to what was by far the touchiest issue of the visit -- the failed EADS bid to build planes for the US Air Force. The French are blaming American protectionism for the decision by the European aerospace giant and its partner Northrop Grumman to withdraw from a bid to manufacture 179 tanker airplanes for the US Air Force in a massive contract with a total value of $35 billion (€26 billion). Sarkozy claims the bidding process favored EADS's American rival Boeing.

"I trust him," Sarkozy said, referring to Obama, adding that EADS would submit another bid on the project if Obama assures him that the bidding process will be "free, fair and transparent."

In response, Obama stressed that he could not get personally involved in the matter because the Pentagon would make any final decision. But, Obama added, "I have assurances from Secretary of Defense Gates that, in fact, the rebidding process is going to be completely transparent and completely open in a fair competition."

Intimate Dinner for Four

On a visit to France last year, Obama was accused of snubbing Sarkozy when he turned down an offer for a state dinner in favor of eating out alone with his wife. This time around, Obama used meals as a chance to foster the relationship. Before their meeting in the White House, the two leaders joined their wives for lunch at the Washington restaurant Ben's Chili Bowl, famous for its chili dogs. And, after the press conference, the four enjoyed a private dinner at the White House.

Although some observers are criticizing Obama for not honoring Sarkozy with a state dinner, the French president doesn't intend to let such trivialities disrupt the newfound harmony. In fact, some in Sarkozy's entourage went so far as to stress that the intimate dinner was actually an indication of just how much Obama liked him.