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Rice dismisses Putin claim on Iran nukes


WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Friday dismissed Russian leader Vladimir Putin's claim Iran was not making nuclear weapons.

"There are good reasons to be suspicious of what the Iranians are doing," she said at a joint news conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot.

Rice added the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Union were suspicious of Iran's nuclear program and there was no reason to believe they were wrong.

Earlier in the day, during a meeting with Hassan Rowhani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Putin said: "Iran has no intention of building an atomic weapon."

The comment was at odds with U.S. assertions Iran has a clandestine nuclear weapons program. Tehran, however, says its program is for peaceful purposes only.

Britain, France and Germany are trying to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic and scientific help.

http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.s ... lter=World

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Bush Says U.S. Not Planning Attack of Iran, but Refuses to Rule Out Possibility
President Bush makes remarks on the elections in Iraq from the White House, in this Jan. 30, 2005 file photo in Washington. Bush says speculation that the United States might attack Iraq to end its nuclear program is "just not the truth," although he refuses to rule out the possibility entirely. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, FILE)
By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Feb 19, 2005 — President Bush says speculation that the United States might attack Iran to end its nuclear program is "just not the truth," although he refuses to rule out the possibility entirely.

"Listen, first of all, you never want a president to say 'never.' But military action is certainly not it's never the president's first choice," Bush said Friday. "Diplomacy is always the president's first at least my first choice."

Bush sat down for a series of broadcast and newspaper interviews with correspondents from Russia, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Germany in connection with his five-day trip to Europe next week to repair relations damaged by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=514628

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Bush looking to reconcile with 'old Europe'
President wants consensus on peace, security and democratization
Saturday, February 19, 2005 Posted: 1:56 PM EST (1856 GMT)


The trip to Europe will be Bush's first since his re-election in November.


(CNN) -- President Bush heads to Europe on Sunday with an ambitious agenda for patching relations with "old Europe," bolstering support from the eastern European nations newly emerged from the end of the Cold War, and spreading democracy throughout the world.

The three-nation trip is the president's first European visit since his November re-election.

Administration officials said this week that Bush hopes to reach some consensus with traditional U.S. allies on a variety of peace and security issues, from post-war Iraq and Afghanistan, to Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

"America and Europe are the pillars of the free world," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.

"Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic understand that the hopes for peace in the world depend on the continued unity of free nations. We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/02 ... topstories

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Bush Says He Harbors No Bitterness Toward Chirac


Feb 19, 2005 — By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush says he has no bitterness toward French President Jacques Chirac after their tussle over Iraq, but he is taking issue with a Chirac notion that a united Europe would serve as a counterbalance to the United States. In run-up to his trip to Europe, Bush underscored in media interviews with European journalists his second-term drive to foster improved trans-Atlantic relations and work on common problems like Iraqi reconstruction, Iran, Syria and the Middle East peace process.

"I know we had a difference of opinion," Bush said of U.S.-European strains over the Iraq war. "And it was a big difference of opinion on Iraq. But now is the time for us to set aside that difference and to move forward in areas where we can work together."

Bush did not shy away from some differences with Europe, but he did seem to strike a less confrontational tone than he has in the past.

"I don't feel bitter, personally," Bush said of Chirac, who was the chief Iraq war opponent in Europe. Bush and Chirac will have a working dinner in Brussels.

Bush questioned the Chirac-advocated idea of the need for a "multipolar world," diplomatic code language for a united Europe balancing out the United States.

"Some have said, 'Well, we must have a unified Europe to balance America.' Why, when in fact we share values and goals? … Why don't we view this as a moment where we can move forward in a concerted fashion to achieve those goals?"

Bush said in his weekly radio address that America and Europe had much in common as "pillars of the free world."

"We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe," he said. In the media interviews, Bush did, however, take exception to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's recent comment that NATO was no longer "the primary venue" for trans-Atlantic dialogue. Schroeder called for outside experts to suggest how the alliance could be more relevant in the post-Cold War world.

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Bush Sees European Visit as Chance to Mend Fences, but Tensions Remain

By Tom Raum Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 19, 2005






WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is extending an olive branch to European leaders who opposed his Iraq policies. Recent international developments, plus a whirlwind charm offensive by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have bolstered the prospects for a trans-Atlantic reconciliation.
Bush's own re-election, along with elections in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, have helped put Bush and most European leaders on the same page.

"My trip to Europe is to seize the moment and invigorate a relationship that is a vital relationship for our own security, as well as ... for long-term peace in the world," Bush said ahead of the five-day visit that was beginning Sunday



http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB12ENHE5E.html

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Bush urging allies to move beyond Iraq
2/20/2005, 6:42 p.m. CT
By TERENCE HUNT
The Associated Press



BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — President Bush was seeking to repair rocky relations with Europe on Sunday, saying "no power on earth will ever divide us." He was urging allies to move beyond differences over Iraq in the interest of Mideast peace.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/topstorie ... topstories

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Bush Urges Russia to Renew Commitment to Democracy (Update2)
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush warned Russia not to stray from the path to democracy and said Europe and the U.S. need to remind President Vladimir Putin of the importance of a strong opposition, a free press and power-sharing.

``The Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law,'' Bush said in a speech in Brussels today during the first trip to Europe of his second term. ``The United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.''

Putin, who meets with Bush on Feb. 24, has stepped up control of the Russian media and ended the direct election of regional governors, whom he will now appoint. The U.S. and Russia have also clashed over Russia's help for Iran in building a nuclear power plant and over Putin's opposition to pro-western Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in last year's election.

The largest shareholder in OAO Yukos Oil Co. last week urged the U.S. to block Russia's quest for World Trade Organization membership, saying the government pushed Yukos into bankruptcy with its demands for $28 billion in taxes. The tax bill raised concerns that Putin is seeking to tighten control of businesses. Bush said the U.S. supports Russia's bid to join the WTO.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... world_news

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Iran Says Does Not Want U.S. to Join Nuclear Talks
Thu Feb 24, 2005 04:19 AM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Thursday it did not want the United States to become more involved in negotiations Tehran is holding with the European Union over its nuclear program.
European leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder, urged President Bush this week to join the EU approach of offering incentives to Iran in return for scrapping some atomic work.

Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley, said on Wednesday Bush would consider the use of incentives such as the membership of the World Trade Organization and the sale of civilian aircraft to Iran, when he returns to Washington.

But Iran, which strongly denies U.S. accusations it is secretly building nuclear arms, said it did not want Washington to join the nuclear talks with Britain, France and Germany.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not see any reason why the United States should join the negotiations between the three European countries and Iran on its nuclear program," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=7724340

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Bush, Putin to announce measures to combat nuclear terrorismThursday, February 24, 2005 Updated at 4:56 AM EST

Bratislava, Slovakias — U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are embracing new measures to combat nuclear terrorism and better safeguard nuclear arsenals, administration officials said Thursday ahead of a summit between the leaders.

The joint agreement, a positive note in a meeting where Mr. Bush will raise his concerns over Mr. Putin's rollback of some democratic advances, is expected to include measures to restrict commerce in shoulder-fired missiles, officials said in previewing the planned announcement.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... rnational/