Bush Discusses Iran Sanctions with EU Leaders
President Bush shakes hands with European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa at the end of a joint press conference Tuesday.
President Bush shakes hands with European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa at the end of a joint press conference Tuesday.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Bush continued his tough talk against Iran on Tuesday as he met with European Union leaders in Slovenia.
In what is likely his final trip to Europe as president, Bush is pushing familiar themes, discussing with EU leaders the possibility of more sanctions if Iran does not stop trying to enrich uranium. Iran insists it has only civilian uses in mind for its nuclear pursuits.
"They can either face isolation, or they can have better relations with all of us," Bush said of Iran's leaders while capping his final European Union-U.S. summit.
The president's summit with EU leaders also covered Afghanistan's woes, climate change and Mideast peace.
Bush is trying to forge a consensus with Britain, Germany and France on Iran with a carrot-and-stick strategy — a package of new penalties and incentives aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Bush Meets with 'Friendly Faces' in Last Europe Trip
President Bush is meeting with European leaders Tuesday in Slovenia for the annual U.S.-European summit. It's the first stop on the last scheduled European trip of his presidency. The weeklong tour will take him to Britain, Germany, Italy and France.
Host Renee Montagne talks to NPR's Don Gonyea, who is traveling with President Bush.
The president has never been popular in Western Europe, but on this final European trip, "he's finding friendly faces," Gonyea says: Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, a longtime ally; French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who replaced Bush critic Jacques Chirac; and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The summit in Slovenia will cover familiar topics. President Bush wants to make sure European countries are living up to commitments to aid Aghanistan; he also wants them to take Iran's potential to become a nuclear power more seriously.
"They're also going to talk about the troubles with the U.S. economy. Certainly, there's a lot of worry about it spreading over into Europe, and high gasoline and oil prices affecting everyone," Gonyea says.
He says the typical protests that greet Bush on his European visits are not happening this time. "Europeans in general seem to be looking past this president already."
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