Obama: EU financial crisis top priority

GlobalPost

President Obama said Thursday that finding a solution to the debt crisis in Europe is the most important priority for world leaders during the G20 Summit, according to CNN.

Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke to the press after meeting to discuss the turmoil in Greece. Both leaders said they were working toward a solution to the political uncertainty in Greece.

"The most important task for us is to resolve the financial crisis here in Europe," said Obama, CNN reported.

He added that the United States will "continue to be a partner with Europe to resolve these issues."

More: G20 pushes euro zone to fix debt crisis

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou shocked the EU and stock markets Wednesday when he declared he would seek a referendum on the second cost-cutting bailout plan offered to the country. The announcement has placed the future of Greece in the euro zone at risk, according to the Guardian.

But Obama’s remarks at the G20 not only showed concern for Europe’s welfare, but also for his own future as commander-in-chief.

The Hill reported:

Obama, quite naturally, is probably more concerned with the 9.1 percent unemployment rate in the U.S., which is the biggest threat to his reelection bid. No president since Franklin Roosevelt has been reelected with a jobless rate that high.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Germany and France said Wednesday that Greece would not receive any more aid from Europe until the country decides whether to stay in the euro zone, Reuters reported.

More: G20 finance ministers meet in Paris

The leaders from the two countries also emphasized that saving the euro was more critical to Europe than saving Greece.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "We would rather achieve a stabilization of the euro with Greece than without Greece, but this goal of stabilizing the euro is more important."
 

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