In a separate press conference, British Prime Minister Cameron outlined the results of the referendum Thursday last week and underlined the divorce talks will not only be triggered by his successor.
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Coming in the opposite direction on Wednesday morning was Nicola Sturgeon, arriving in Brussels to sound out the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz, on the possibility of Scotland – which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU – joining the bloc as a separate member.
“There will be no single market access “a la carte”, he said.
Obama said that, while the special relationship between Britain and the United States will endure, that country’s absence from the European Union would “make it harder for us to solve some of the other challenges that have to be solved”.
With markets jittery and the pound down, time is of the essence when it comes to Britain’s formal departure from the European Union. European Union officials sought to stress that they were only listening to the Scottish nationalist, saying the issue remained one for Britain to resolve.
Barack Obama has warned European leaders to “catch their breath” and make plans for Britain’s exit from the EU.
British Prime Minister David Cameron resigned last week after the campaign he led for his country to remain in the European Union was defeated in a country-wide referendum by 52% to 48%.
French President Francois Hollande said Britain will have to meet strict conditions if it wants to continue to be part of the single market.
There could be “no negotiation without notification”, he said.
“If Britain wants to have common market access, like Norway for example, then the United Kingdom will have to respect. the free movement of goods, capital, people and services”, he said.
Cameron flew back to London on Tuesday night after telling his fellow heads of government over dinner that anxieties about unrestricted freedom of movement – which he said were shared by many other members states – were the root cause of the Brexit vote.
In an effort to tackle this, the leaders agreed on Wednesday they need to do more to battle what a final joint statement called “dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs”.
Asked if he thought the decision to leave the European Union could be “walked back” and if so how, Mr Kerry said, without elaborating: “I think there are a number of ways”.
Mr Cameron told Mr Corbyn to stand down in the national interest.
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The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he did not “rule out” securing a deal on freedom of movement. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May are also expected to run.
