Sarkozy and Clinton discuss Iran sanctions, Haiti relief

Jan 29, 2010, 15:39 GMT

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Friday in Paris for talks on a number of issues, including the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iran regarding its nuclear program.

Sarkozy has often called for increased sanctions to force Tehran to either give up its uranium enrichment program or let it be placed under international controls.

Among other issues Clinton was set to discuss with Sarkozy and, later Friday, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was the Haiti donors conference, to be held on March 22 and 23 in New York.

After her meeting with Sarkozy, Clinton delivered a speech on security issues at the Institute for Strategic Research at the Military Academy (IRSEM).

Responding to a question, she defended the use of American soldiers in Haiti, saying that relief following the earthquake 'could not have been carried out only by civilians.'

The consequences of the disaster were so severe, Clinton said, that essential problems such as food delivery could only have been resolved by the military.

The presence of large numbers of US troops in Haiti led to complaints from a number of parties involved in relief work there.

For example, Benoit Leduc of Doctors Without Borders said that his organization was concerned about the 'militarization of aid' and 'the extreme confusion of distributing food with a gun.'