As G-8 Summit Wraps Up, Obama Heads to Ghana

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• JEFFREY BROWN:

  President Obama wrapped up a week of European travel with a final news conference at the G-8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy. Mr. Obama said the G-8 leaders are giving Iran two months to start talking seriously about the country's nuclear program.

• BARACK OBAMA, U.S., President:

  We remain seriously concerned about the appalling events surrounding the presidential election, and we're deeply troubled by the proliferation risks Iran's nuclear program poses to the world.

  We've offered Iran a path towards assuming its rightful place in the world, but with that right comes responsibilities. We hope Iran will make the choice to fulfill them, and we will take stock of Iran's progress when we see each other this September at the G-20 meeting.

• JEFFREY BROWN:

  Before heading off to Ghana, the president stressed the importance to Africa of a new commitment to food security.

• BARACK OBAMA:

  There is no reason why Africa cannot be self-sufficient when it comes to food. I have family members who live in villages — they themselves are not going hungry — but live in villages where hunger is real. And so this is something that I understand in very personal terms.

  And if you talk to people on the ground in Africa — certainly in Kenya — they will say that part of the issue here is the institutions aren't working for ordinary people, and so governance is a vital concern that has to be addressed.

  Now, keep in mind — I want to be very careful — Africa is a continent, not a country, and so you can't extrapolate from the experience of one country, and there are a lot of good things happening. Part of the reason that we're traveling to Ghana is because you've got there a functioning democracy, a president who's serious about reducing corruption, and you've seen significant economic growth.

• JEFFREY BROWN:

  And Mr. Obama remarked on the number of international summits he's been attending since his inauguration and suggested changes for future forums seeking to resolve economic and political issues.

• BARACK OBAMA:

  So I think we're in a transition period. We're trying to find the right shape that combines the efficiency and capacity for action with inclusiveness. And my expectation is, is that, over the next several years, you'll see an evolution and we'll be able to find the right combination.

  The one thing I will be looking forward to is fewer summit meetings, because, as you said, I've only been in office six months now, and there have been a lot of these. And I think that there's a possibility of streamlining them and making them more effective.

  The United States obviously is a absolutely committed partner to concerted international action, but we need to, I think, make sure that they're as productive as possible.

• JEFFREY BROWN:

  Once the summit ended, the Obamas met the pope in Rome.

  This afternoon, I talked with Margaret Warner, who's been covering the president's trip for us all week, from Russia to Italy.

  So, Margaret, some tough words on Iran, but no immediate new sanctions?