Obama, Harper discuss environment, economy

OTTAWA, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The United States and Canada agreed to a new joint initiative to enhance cross-border cooperation to combat global warming, the national leaders said Thursday.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Steve Harper said during a joint news conference in in Ottawa the clean energy dialog will commit senior officials from both countries to look for ways to reduce greenhouse sasses and combat climate change.

"How we produce and use energy is fundamental to our economic recovery, but also our security and our planet," Obama said. "And we know that we can't afford to tackle these issues in isolation."

Harper said the two leaders also had a "productive discussion" on the countries' shared priorities for international peace and security, " in particular our commitment to stability and progress in Afghanistan."

Harper said the ultimate goal for Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan, beyond day-to-day security, "is the training of the Afghan army, so the Afghans, themselves, can become responsible for their day-to- day security in that country."

Obama recognized Canada's contribution to Afghanistan was large because Afghanistan is Canada's largest foreign aid recipient.

Concerning to the global economic crisis, Obama and Harper said strong leadership was needed to help steer global markets to recovery.

Harper said nations pursuing their own economic stimulus plans must recognize that "we have a synchronized global recession that requires policies that will not just benefit ourselves, but benefit our trading partners at the same time."

Both said the North America Free Trade Agreement, and similar free trade agreements, demonstrate that "trade ultimately is beneficial to all countries," Obama said, but they also must look at human and environmental implications.

On the "buy American" provisions, Harper noted that the World Trade Organization and NAFTA permit domestic preferences.

"We expect the United States to adhere to its -- to its international obligations," Harper said. "I have every expectation, based on what the president's told me and what he said publicly many times in the past, that the United States will do just that."