BERLIN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. President
George W. Bush agreed Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to put
diplomacy first in solving Iran's controversial nuclear program.
Bush, who is on a two-day visit to Germany after
attending the EU-U.S. summit in Slovenia, made the remarks at a joint press
conference with Merkel.
U.S. President George W. Bush
participates in a joint news conference with Germany's Chancellor Angela
Merkel at the Schloss Meseberg in Meseberg June 11, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
"All options are on the table" to deal with Iran's
nuclear program, Bush said.
"My first choice is to solve this diplomatically and
the best way to solve it diplomatically is to work with our partners," he added.
However, Bush also said that Iranian leaders have
made "a bad choice for the Iranian people," and threatened "additional
sanctions" if "the Iranians choose to continue to ignore the demands of the free
world."
Meanwhile, Merkel said "I very clearly pin my hopes
on diplomatic efforts and I believe that diplomatic pressure actually already
has taken effect."
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel walk through the gardens before their
bilateral meeting at Schloss Meseberg, Germany June 11,
2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The unified global community is an obvious
presupposition for diplomatic efforts to be a success, she said.
Merkel did not rule out a further round of sanctions
on Iran, but preferred those sanctions be negotiated and "decided at the level
of the United Nations Security Council," because "China and Russia obviously
make for much greater effectiveness of such sanctions."
On Iraq, Bush said he has no regrets about the
decision to invade the country in 2003, but he did regret the rhetoric he had
used prior to the war which had made it appear that he was eager to go to war.
"I don't regret it at all," Bush said. But he
admitted that he could have used "better rhetoric" to make his case for the Iraq
war.
He said "substantial progress" had been made in Iraq
and it would "change the Middle East for the better."
Bush also voiced optimism about reaching a security
agreement with Iraq, adding that this will not involve permanent U.S. bases in
Iraq nor will it bind any future U.S. president to certain troop levels.
The agreement, known as a Status of Forces Agreement
(Sofa) proposed by the United States, has met strong opposition from many Iraqi
politicians with critics complaining that the agreement would turn Iraq into a
virtual colony and allow the United States to maintain nearly 60 bases in their
country indefinitely.
On climate change, which is high on Merkel's foreign
policy agenda, Bush said that the United States is working closely with other
major economies to develop a common goal.
"The objective is to be able to announce a long-term,
binding goal at the G-8," Bush said, referring to next month's summit of the
Group of Eight major industrialized nations in Japan.
The two leaders also agreed on the need to push
forward the stalled Doha Round of multilateral trade talks.
Noting that soaring food prices are becoming a
crucial issue for developing countries, Merkel said "this trade round is
absolutely essential for a balanced situation in the world-at-large."
Bush departed for Rome on Wednesday afternoon to
continue his farewell European trip, which will also take him to Paris, London
and Belfast.
U.S. President George W. Bush (C) walks
to a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (L)
and Janez Jansa (R), prime minister of current European Union president
Slovenia, at Brdo Castle during the U.S.- E.U. Summit, June 10, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BRDO, Slovenia, June 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George
W. Bush threatened on Tuesday to seek more sanctions against Iran for its
nuclear program.
"A group of countries can send a clear message to the
Iranians," Bush said, referring to a new proposal from Britain, China, France,
Germany, Russia and the United States. Full story
U.S. President George W. Bush (2nd L)
participates in a photo opportunity with European Commission President
Jose Manuel Barroso (L), Janez Jansa, prime minister of current European
Union president Slovenia, and European Union Secretary General Javier
Solana (R) at Brdo Castle during the U.S.- E.U. Summit, June 10, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BRUSSELS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana said here Wednesday that he hopes his forthcoming trip to Iran
would restart the process for settling the Iranian nuclear crisis.
"We hope very much there will be a positive outcome of the
visit and that it will not be just one visit, that it will be a process that
restarts again in trying to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis," Solana
said at a joint press conference with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang
Jiechi. Full story
