As President Bush makes his final tour through Europe, he has been warning foreign leaders that they are not taking the Iranian threat seriously enough. He stunned reporters, however, with an announcement of a new, less belligerent, approach to U.S./Iranian relations.
MESEBERG, Germany
"I told the chancellor my first choice, of course, is to solve this diplomatically." He quickly added, "all options are on the table."
When asked if this meant direct talks were on the table, he defended his long commitment to using diplomatic channels with the nation.
Bush said: "Back in 2003, when Iran proposed a broad dialogue, offering a few concessions, like full cooperation on nuclear programs, acceptance of Israel and the termination of Iranian support for Palestinian militant groups, we listened. We told 'em, 'the choice is up to you, and we hope you don't force us to use bombs.'"
Asked why negotiations seemed to stall after that exchange, Bush defended the diplomatic record.
A couple of years ago, we sent a team of diplomats to demonstrate our willingness to resolve our mutual problems.
According to accounts of the efforts, "The $5 million program began with little fanfare [in 2006] with a series of visits by Iranian medical doctors and researchers and a trip to Iran by the U.S. wrestling team to compete in matches before 3,000 fans."
Asked about his diplomatic approach, Coach Russell said "We should not mingle politics with sports." Negotiations reached an impass.
Before ending the press conference, Bush went on to re-emphasize that he hates war, and that bombs are a last resort.