Getty White House: Obama to attend Paris climate talks despite attacks

President Barack Obama still plans to attend international climate talks in Paris that are proceeding in the wake of attacks that rocked the city Friday, a White House official said Saturday.

The president is scheduled to join dozens of world leaders in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 for the beginning of the high-stakes negotiations. Diplomats are hoping to finalize a new agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the two-week talks, which conclude on Dec. 11.


A White House official told POLITICO Obama would still attend. The Associated Press reported Secretary of State John Kerry would be attending the talks as well.

French officials have vowed that the negotiations, which have required months of planning, will go on as planned. But the already-high security will likely be dramatically increased.

The talks "must be held," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said today, according to Agence France-Presse.