Posted on 02/24/2005 6:54:08 AM PST by traumer
MAINZ, Germany — President Bush (search) and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (search) agreed Wednesday to turn down the volume on arguments about Iraq and Iran, demanding in unison that Tehran abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Nearing the end of a five-day reconciliation visit to Europe, Bush also prepared for a showdown Thursday with Russia's Vladimir Putin (search) in Bratislava, the snow-covered capital of Slovakia.
Bush said he was concerned about Putin's restrictions on press freedom and other steps amounting to a retreat from democracy. Still, Bush emphasized he did not want to harm "a close relationship with Vladimir."
Bush raced through a nine-hour stop in Germany after harmonious discussions with European allies in Brussels, Belgium. Iran was a prominent subject in his talks all along the way.
The main question was whether allies should use rewards or punishment to achieve the goal of a non-nuclear Iran, or, as Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, put it: "should there be a mix of carrots and sticks and who should the carrots come from and what should they be."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Boy, I bet the mullahs are shaking in their robes now. Germany wants a nuke freeze? Ooooooooh.
BTW, doesn't this presume that the Iranians HAVE nukes?
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