By Sam Youngman and Bridget Johnson,The Hill
Netanyahu spoke directly to Obama during newsconference
Meeting in the Oval Office with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,President Obama said Monday that he wants to see progress on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program after the country’s June elections but by the end of the year.
The Iranian issue adds to already thorny Middle East peace efforts,but Obama said he did not want to stick to any “artificial deadlines.”
“I have said from the outset that when it comes to my policies toward Israel and the Middle East,that Israel’s security is paramount,and I repeated that to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Obama said.
The president said he continues to see a two-state solution for the Middle East conflict,but Netanyahu,who called Obama a “true friend of Israel,”did not commit to the same framework.