Cameron and Obama discuss EU and Syria

In Washington to meet his US counterpart, UK Prime Minister David Cameron brushed off domestic tensions over Europe to discuss the EU-US free trade zone, which if achieved would make it one of the biggest in the world. “Our greatest challenge is to secure a sustainable economic recovery. President Obama and I have both championed a free trade deal between the European Union a United States and there is a real chance now to get the process launched in time for the G8,” said Cameron. The G8 is scheduled for June 17-18 in Northern Ireland. The pair also spoke of solutions to the Syrian conflict. Obama said that he would keep up the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, “That includes bringing together representatives of the regime and the opposition in Geneva in the coming weeks to agree on transitional body which would allow a transfer of power from Assad to this governing body.” He added that, “ Meanwhile we will continue to work to establish the facts around the use of chemical weapons in Syria and those facts will help guide our next steps”. The US and Russia have tentatively proposed a peace conference, with Cameron agreeing on his visit to Russia last week. However, a date is yet to be set. Obama also weighed in on the EU referendum debate saying that the UK’s membership was an “expression of its influence” in the the world.