U.S. President Barack Obama and the Group of Eight (G8) summit host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that they reached wide consensus on regional issues concerning North Africa and the Middle East.

In a brief press conference after their meeting on Friday morning, the two leaders dedicated their speeches mainly to the long-stalked Middle East peace process and recent political unrest in North Africa.

Sarkozy praised Obama's view on relations of Palestine and Israel "clear-sighted and bold" while Obama said "enormous convergence" had been reached between them.

The Palestinians and Israel should return to negotiation table in a bid to create two states living "side by side and in peace" in a way that the Palestinian state "is sovereign" and the Israel state "is secure," Obama said.

Setting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's leave as the final goal of NATO-led intervention, the U.S. president said that the United States and France "are joined in resolve to finish the job."

On Egypt and Tunisia，Obama said they would provide aid not only in political transition but also to ensure an economic growth in accompany.

Their talks also touched wide issues ranging from Afghanistan and Iran to the world economy, "in which the United States' interests and France's are closely joined," according to Obama.

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