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Bush, Merkel Say More Iran Sanctions May Be Necessary
2008-06-11
President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said more sanctions will be placed on Iran if the government continues to ignore demands to suspend uranium enrichment. Bush also reiterated that all options remain open regarding Iran, after talks in Germany with Merkel. ``All options are on the table, and my first choice is to solve this diplomatically,'' Bush said today at a press conference with the chancellor. ``If they choose to continue to be obstinate, there will be additional sanctions.'' Bush, on his farewell trip to Europe, arrived in Germany yesterday and held meetings with Merkel at Schloss Meseberg, a government guesthouse about 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of Berlin. Deterring Iran's nuclear ambitions is the focus of Bush's weeklong trip. He left Germany for Rome after his talks today and will also make stops in Paris and London. The U.S. president won backing from the European Union for tighter sanctions against Iran's banks, officials announced yesterday. European Commission President Jose Barroso told Bush that the 27-nation EU's executive branch will take ``additional measures'' to keep Iranian banks from funding terrorism. Merkel agreed that more sanctions should be placed on Iran if the government continues to ignore demands from the international community to suspend its nuclear program that the U.S. and many European countries believe is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Iran, home to the world's second largest oil and natural gas reserves, says its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes. `Further Sanctions' ``If Iran does not meet its commitments, then further sanctions will simply have to follow,'' Merkel said. ``We would hope for the leadership in Iran to finally see reason.'' Iran ignored demands to stop producing nuclear fuel and blocked inspectors from looking at documents claiming the government in Tehran researched atomic weapons, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last month. ``The Iranian regime has made a choice, and it's a bad choice for the Iranian people,'' Bush said. ``The Iranian people deserve better than being isolated from the world.'' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that Bush's administration is in its final days and won't be able to harm Iran. `Iran's Sacred Land' ``It's Bush's dream to harm Iran's nation,'' Ahmadinejad said today during a televised speech in the western Iranian city of Shahre Kord. ``You thought you would be able to do something but your term came to an end and you will not be capable of harming even 1 centimeter of Iran's sacred land.'' Bush has seven months remaining in office. In Brussels, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi countered Bush's comments when asked about them today, saying that China, a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, favors a diplomatic solution to the Iranian program. ``We believe the Iranian nuclear issue should be solved peacefully through diplomatic channels, through joint efforts of the EU three plus three,'' Yang said, referring to the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, which have pushed through sanctions against Iran. Speaking at a briefing with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Yang also lauded the Iranian government for agreeing to take up talks with Solana. The EU diplomat, who will depart in the coming days for Tehran, said he hoped his visit would be the first of several. Global Trade Bush is also using his trip to promote global trade and the peace process in the Middle East with European leaders. At the news conference, Bush said he expected to complete an agreement that defines a long-term relationship with Iraq. He said the agreement wouldn't lead to permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq nor would it tie the hands of the next president on troop levels. The so-called framework agreement would replace the current legal authorization for U.S. forces in Iraq, a Security Council resolution that expires at the end of this year. Most Germans think Bush has been a poor president. An Emnid poll conducted for the N24 television network showed 77 percent think Bush has done a ``bad job,'' compared with 14 percent who say the U.S. leader has done ``good work.'' The survey of 1,000 people was conducted on June 9 and had a 2.5 percentage point margin of error. To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Dodge in Berlin, at cdodge1@bloomberg.net ; Edwin Chen in Meseberg, Germany. Echen32@bloomberg.net .
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 Obama's Brandenburg Concerto (2008-07-13) |  Bush, Merkel Say More Iran Sanctions May Be Necessary (2008-06-11) | | Berlin embassy to show "warmer, fuzzier" U.S. (2008-01-31) | | Bush, Merkel discuss tougher sanctions on Iran (2007-11-10) | | Bush, Merkel to focus on Iran in Texas ranch visit (2007-11-09) | | Sarkozy, Merkel to meet Bush this week (2007-11-05) | | Bush, Merkel far apart on climate change (2007-06-06) | | Germany praises Bush on global warming (2007-06-03) | | U.S. rejects German climate position: G8 draft (2007-05-25) | | Germany urges U.S. missile defense talks (2007-03-17) | | Germany orders arrest of 13 over CIA 'kidnapping' (2007-01-31) | | German court orders arrest of El Masri kidnappers (2007-01-31) | | US, Germany relaunch Mideast quartet (2007-01-17) | | U.S. urges Germany to extend mandate in Afghanistan (2006-10-23) | | Bush, Merkel call for restraint in Mideast (2006-07-13) | | Bush may discuss Gitmo issue in Germany (2006-07-13) | | Bush meets Merkel amid Middle East crisis (2006-07-13) | | Bush, Merkel confer ahead of G-8 summit (2006-07-12) | | Bush to meet with German Chancellor Thurs. (2006-07-10) | | Bush, Merkel pledge backing for Israel, denounce Iran and Hamas (2006-05-04) | | Rumsfeld Upbeat on Relations With Germany (2006-02-04) | | German Parliament Eyes Spy Investigation (2006-01-21) | | Merkel and Bush Off to Warm Start (2006-01-14) | | German Leader to Show Sunny Side to U.S. (2006-01-12) | | Germany's Merkel says Guantanamo should be shut (2006-01-07) |
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