German Chancellor Angela Merkel told US President George W. Bush
on Saturday she would be willing to support a third round of UN
sanctions against Iran if Teheran continues to resist demands to
halt sensitive nuclear work.
USPresident George W. Bush (R) and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel speak during a joint press conference outside Bush's
office on his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Merkel, in a visit to Bush's ranch in Crawford, also said she
would consider possible cuts in her country's brisk trade flows
with Iran should other efforts fail to secure Teheran's cooperation
over its nuclear program.
Bush agreed with Merkel that diplomacy was the best way to
resolve the standoff with Iran.
"We were at one in saying that the threat posed through the
nuclear program of Iran is indeed a serious one," Merkel said at a
joint news conference with Bush.
"We both share this view, but we also were of the opinion that
we think that this issue can be solved through diplomatic means;
that the next step, then, obviously, would be a resolution," she
said through a translator.
Merkel said she would wait for reports on Iran's nuclear
activities from the EU negotiator and the UN atomic watchdog before
making a final decision on sanctions.
Britain, France, Germany, the US, Russia and China are expected
to meet on November 19 to assess reports from EU foreign policy
chief Javier Solana and International Atomic Energy Agency head
Mohamed ElBaradei.
"If the reports remain unsatisfactory ... we need to think about
further possible sanctions. ... We also have to then talk and agree
on further possible sanctions," Merkel said.
Merkel said she would talk with German companies about "further
possible reductions of those commercial ties" with Iran.
The West accuses Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon but
Teheran says its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes of
generating electricity.
Bush alarmed some European allies last month when he said a
nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War III. The Bush
administration insists it is committed to pursuing diplomacy with
Iran, but also says all options are on the table.
"What the Iranian regime must understand is that we will
continue to work together to solve this problem diplomatically,
which means they will continue to be isolated," Bush said at the
news conference.
Bush and Merkel's two days of talks at the ranch also covered
issues including Afghanistan, global warming and a planned
conference on Middle East peace.
US President George W.
Bush takes German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a ride in his
pick-up truck on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Nov. 9,
2007.
The ranch visit was also aimed at deepening ties between
Washington and Berlin after a rift that opened over the Iraq War.
Bush had a chilly relationship with Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard
Schroeder, a vocal critic of the Iraq War.
Bush and Merkel have a friendly rapport which was underscored by
his suggestion that she visit the ranch, an invitation he usually
reserves for his favorite world leaders.
Bush last week also focused on a renewal of ties with France,
hosting French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a formal dinner at the
White House and then accompanying him on a tour of the estate in
Mount Vernon, Virginia, of the first US president, George
Washington. Bush and Sarkozy pledged a common approach on Iran as
well.
Bush showed Merkel around his 650-hectare ranch during a morning
walk. Joined by their spouses on Friday evening, the leaders dined
on pecan-smoked beef tenderloin and green chili-cheese grits
souffle.
On Saturday, they continued their talks over hamburgers.
(China Daily November 12, 2007)
