Security policy. And i think that the spirit and the energy of the italian people has the opportunity to be unleashed in a way that will be good for italy, and also good for europe. And its wonderful to see this new generation of leadership coming to the foreground. We have been focus okay ukraine, something that we have been talking about for the last three days, and we continue to see International Unity in the face of violation of International Law and territorial integrity. This is going to help to stabilize the economy. And it will require Structural Reforms, but a path that. It should help to unlock 20 billion in International Support for ukraine, so its a concrete install as it makes tough choices at an incredibly difficult time. And ukraines leaders can show foresight by helping them make reforms in their economy, and leave behind the corruption of the past. And today i want to call on the United Nations congress to make sure that the United States does its part with the ukrainian people as they move forward. As nato allies, the United States and italy have a solemn obligation to help with the security of our allies, as g7 partners, in brussels, without russia, a signal of russias growing isolation. With the sanction thats the United States and europe union have imposed and will continue to grow if russia doesnt change course. But as i said yesterday in brussels, were continually hopeful that russia walks through the door of diplomacy, and works with all of us to try to resolve issues in a peaceful way. And well continue to coordinate closely with italy and our other European Partners throughout this crisis. I thanked the Prime Minister, well Prime Minister politano for nato. They have served admirably. In kosevo, where italians command the nato force, i would add that italy commands and contribute a large number of peace keepers in lebanon, and at the Security Summit this week, we announced the complete removal of italys uranium so it can be eliminated to not fall into the hands of terrorists. And this is one more example across the board. We discussed the need to boost Economic Growth on both sides of the atlantic, creating jobs for young people. In addition to what we have outlined, moving forward with investment trade and partnership to boost growth and ininvestment, not just for small, but large and medium sized businesses on both sides of the atlantic. I commended president renzi for his efforts to higher more italian workers and make the Italian Economy more competitive. And i know theres a lot more to be done, and there will be you have to choices but as italy moves forward, the United States will stand with you. Finally, we discussed broader global issues. Italy played a Critical Role in the naval air campaign to protect the people three years ago, and now were working on the Security Forces to restore order to libya, and making sure that they have a government to serve the libyan people. The vital role that italy will play to destroy syrias chemical weapons. Its an italian port where stockpiles will be loaded on italian ships for elimination, and this is an example of how we work together, not just for ourselves but for the world. And we are looking forward to being back in italy, in milan, hosting the worlds, or being part of the world exposition that italy is hosting. The United States will participate in the expo, and with our partners, well put together an outstanding usa pavilion to showcase agriculture and nutrition and helping people around the world. I know that the milan expo is going to engage the world as only italy can, and i tell you, i have volunteers from my staff that want to go and make sure that the expo goes smoothly. And i expect that some restaurants and shopping may somewhere be in their agenda. So mr. Prime minister, thank you for your friendship, and your leadership. Im confident that together we can build on the progress that we have already made. And im even more confident that the bonds between our two nations will continue to grow, rooted in the enduring friendship between our two people. So molte grasi. Thank you, mr. President , and questions . For america . Okay. Channel one news. Prime minister, you said a moment ago that you are committed to creating a new europe with more growth, less bureaucracy, and we have to be closer to the people. Now, is there an american model to be followed here . Are you asking the u. S. To support that . [ unintelligible ] [ foreign dialogue ] italys first it has to think that its opportunities will come from the outside or the u. S. We have to change ourselves. Were a great country, and were able to change. We have to reduce our oppressing bureaucracy, and we have to reduce, downsize our political class, and we have to work on our labor market, because our International Investors are to know this is a great place for their ideas and opportunity to grow. So this is why we say to italians and to all of our fellow citizens that we shouldnt be looking for an excuse. Nobody is going to do this from the outside. We have to change ourselves from within. And of course if we have that credibility, which is needed, if we believe in ourselves, then europe is going to have to focus more on growth and less on bureaucracy. I think that this is how it should be, and i spoke to angela, in our semester of presidency. Can the u. S. Be a model . Of course. Over the years, underred leadership of president obama, the United States has chosen an ambitious course. They have been rebuilding their economy in america, and in fact, thats a message that we have received. We decided to call our measures jobs act. This is the same term used in the u. S. , more or less. And this is a way of helping youth have more credibility. And more space, more room. We have to make sure that our investors want to come, so of course the u. S. Can be seen as a model. And the important point is that italy has to do its homework. In other words, italy must finally put in the Structural Reforms that we have been waiting for for 20 years. And my government is going to come from that. We want to change ourselves, and clearly, were doing it in an interconnected global world. We know that europe has to think a bit more about the future and a bit less about the past. And the friendship and the cooperation and partnership with the u. S. , therefore, are an unrelinquishable beacon for us. Before i talk about the future, let me talk about the recent past, because i think that you were has taken deserved credit. As much as a year ago, we were worried about the euro spinning out of control. There were enormous challenges across the board. I think that because of strong coordination within the euro zone, and smart actions by the European Central bank, the financial situation has stabilized. I also think that there were countries that were under enormous market pressure. Borrowing rates were skyrocketing, and because of some tough decisions, youve seen those the ability of countries to borrow on the International Markets stabilizing. All of that was necessary, and it was important. And it could not have happened, had it not been for a coordinated response among a lot of european leaders. We have also Seen Movement toward banking union, which i think is helpful. And there are other multilateral reforms that have taken place that we have encouraged. Now, having said that, what is also true is that europes growth is still very slow, and its Unemployment Rate is still very high. And nobody knows that better than Prime Minister renzi. Thats part of his mission, to reinvigorate the Italian Economy. Each country is going to have a different set of issues that it has to address. Because each country has different strengths and weaknesses in their economy. And i think that Prime Minister renzi has identified some of the Structural Reforms that italy needs to engage . In order to be more competitive and more successful. And im confident that hes going to be able to move italy forward, in part because italy is ready to move forward. As far as europe as a whole, i do think that the old debate about growth versus austerity is a sterile debate. I think that you need to have your public finances in order, but you also have to grow. And the more you grow, the easier it is to get your public finances in order. There are different capacities within europe, and ive said before, and i will repeat again that those countries that have substantial surpluses have more room to boost europeanwide demand. And that will in turn help countries that are still in deficit. That will lift europe as a whole. And that means that everybody is growing. And so in my conversations with president boroso and yesterday at the european union, i pledged to do more to help them grow, and being prudent about their finance. The last point i would make in terms of the United States and how we can be helpful, part of it is making sure that were taking care of our own issues. Its not as though we have a lot of work to do ourselves. We have grown faster than europe, and were covered in part because we took some smart steps, but we also have some fundamental problems that many advanced states, i spoke about this morning, and that is the world economy, those who benefit from globalization and technology, to do better than ever before. Those at the top. And those at the bottom or in the middle having more problems in part because their jobs have been rendered obsolete. And in part because its very difficult to see wages increase. Companies feel that they can move if labor makes a greater demand on wage increases or salary increases. So all of us are seeing structural problems in this new economy, and that means that we have to redouble our efforts. Educate our young people to make sure that we have the capacity to provide skills to our workers. If they lose their jobs, they can transition quickly. That we have a strong baseline of social support for people, if they end up transitioning out of jobs. That were paying more attention to opening up opportunity to people who have been locked out. Particularly youngy. Because as i mentioned to the Prime Minister, one of the tragedies of high youth unemployment is that when young people dont have a strong attachment to the labor market early, that could continue for the rest of their careers, and they never fully recouple whats lost in terms of their potential earnings and their ability to advance in the labor market. And so we cant afford to have years and years of young people who are drifting, working parttime, not able to develop the kind of careers and skills that will allow them to succeed in the future. That has to be a priority and i know Prime Minister renzi spoke to that. Cnn. Reporter thank you very much, mr. President , and in Prime Minister. Mr. President , in your meeting with pope francis did he raise any objections about the contraception mandate in the forward afford, or the rights of gays and lesbians that worry so many catholics, and with troops on the Ukrainian Border, by taking the military option off the table, are you sending a signal to Vladimir Putin that other parts of ukraine are his for the taking, and why not send Multinational Peace keepers to the Ukrainian Border and to you, mr. Prime minister, the president said yesterday that the u. S. Would defend any nato ally and are you making that same commitment when it comes to russia. Thats a lot of questions there, jim. Did. Org the italian journalists do this . The fivepart questions . Same thing . All right, let me try to remember this. In terms of the meeting with his holiness, pope francis. We had a wideranging discussion. I would say that the largest bulk of the time was discussing two central concerns of his. One, the issues of the poor, the marginalized, those without opportunity, and growing inequality. And those of us, as politicians, have the task of trying to come up with policies to address issues. But his holiness has the capacity to open peoples eyes and see that this is an issue. And he has gused in the past i think the dangers of indifference or cynicism when it comes to our ability to reach out to those lessfortunate, or those left out of opportunity. And then we spent a lot of time talking about the challenges of conflict, and howellusive peace is around the world. You know, there were some specific focus on the middle east, where his holiness has a deep interest in the israeli, palestinian issue, but also whats happening in syria, whats happening in lebro leband the potential persecution of christians, and its policy that we protect the interests of religious minorities around the world. But we also touched on refines like latin america, where there has been progress in many countries, but less progress in others. I think that the theme that stitched our conversation together was a belief that in politics and in life, empathy, the ability to stand in somebody elses shoes, and to care for someone, even if they dont look like you, or talk like you, or share your philosophy, that thats critical. Its the lack of empathy that makes it very easy for us to plunge into wars. Its the lack of empathy that allows us to ignore the homeless on the streets. And obviously, central to my Christian Faith is a belief in treating others as i would have them treat me. And i think what has created so much love and excitement for his holiness is that he seems to live this and shows that joy continuously. In terms of the domestic issues, in terms the fact that i urged him to come to the United States, telling him that people would be overjoyed to see him, was immigration reform, and as someone who came from latin america, i think he was very mindful of the plight of so many immigrants, who are wonderful people, working hard, making contributions. Many of their children are u. S. Citizens, and yet they still live in the shadows, in many cases, have been deported and are separated from families. I described to him how i felt it was still an opportunity for us to make this right. And he actually did not touch in detail on the Affordable Care act. In my meeting with secretary of state, cardinal pentalin, we discussed briefly the issue of making sure that conscience and religious freedom was observed in the context of applying the law. And i explained to him that most religious organizations are entirely exempt, religiously affiliated hospitals or ngos simply have to at the time that they have a religious objection, and in which case, they are not required to provide contraceptions, yet employees who choose are able to obtain it through the insurance company. And i pledge to continue dialogue with the u. S. Conference of bishops to make sure that we can strike the right balance, making sure that not only everybody has healthcare, but families and women in particular are able to enjoy the kind of healthcare coverage that the ac officers, but religious freedom is still observed. There was a third question . Thats right, russia. Okay. I remember. I think that ive been very clear in saying that were going to do everything we can to support ukraine and the ukrainian people. But i think that its also important for us not to promise and then not be able to deliver. There are ways for us to hopefully influence russian decision making, and one of the most important things that we can do on that front is ensure that the Ukrainian Government is stable, that its finances are stable, and that elections go forward as currently scheduled so that we have a legitimate, strong, representative, inclusive government with an Economic Program that it is implementing and carrying out. And all of those things are in place, but were going to have to put a lot of resources and a lot of effort. Not just inert United States, but europe as well. And ive been very impressed with Prime Minister and his efforts, and its going to require a lot of courage. But keep in mind, what prompted the protests that led to the previous president leaving was an objection about the same corrupt practices, an economy that was completely inefficient, that led to a situation where polands gdp had skyrocketed and the ukrainians had plummeted when they started off at the same place, just several years ago. I think the Prime Minister understands it, and the italian people understand it. But Prime Minister renzi is also making tough discussion. We have had to make suf decisions. Thats the nature of political leadership. And i think what the ukrainian people are seeking is a better future, even if it means shortterm changes to business as usual. To me, it is clear youve been listening to president obama, meeting with reporters in rome at this hour. Thats Prime Minister, matteo renzi, if he looks young, hes 39 years of age. And our mike viquera traveling in rome, and touching on three issues, contraception mandate and also the issue of russia. Reporter right, it was interesting, on the issue of contraceptive mandate on obamacare, a slightly different attack from the vaticans release. They said, the conscientious objection, to the mandate. And the president saying that that discussion didnt happen with pope francis i, but with the vatican secretary of state. And of course the ukrainian issue, the president once again, lauding the imf with a package, and encouraging other states to come forward, the question about russias troops emmassing and continuing to amass on the Ukrainian Border. Mike viqueira on the acre acrian border and were going to take a break and continue the search for the missing malaysian airliner, and well be back in 2 minutes. I mean, i dont know whos illegal, whos not illegal. Al Jazeera America presents a Breakthrough Television event. Borderland a first hand look at the crisis on the border. Im already afraid just being here six strangers, with different points of view take a closer look at the ongoing conflict. Gary, a farmer, who hires many migrent workers. People say immigrants are stealing our jobs, its not true. And allison, a born again christian, republican. Lets just send them back to mexico and let their goverment handle it. They relive the fatal quest of a young boy named omar. Do you think that omar was way too young to make that trip accross the dessert . You just cant keep being strong. Where will this path lead them . Just because they make it to the u. S. , doesnt mean good things are gonna happen to them. Experience illegal immigration. Up close, and personal. The only way to find out, is to see it yourselves. On. Borderland only on al Jazeera America welcome to al Jazeera America. Im del walters. These are the stories we are following for you. We continue to see International Unity in the face of a violation of International Law and ukraines territorial integrity. First responders still on the scene of that deadly mud live in washington state. And the findings from an