Bush and Putin Vow to Counter Nuclear Iran

The leaders of the United States and Russia said yesterday they stood together in opposition of any Iranian effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, July 2).

“When Russia and the United States speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect and therefore I appreciate the Russians’ attitude in the United Nations,” said President George W. Bush, during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Maine.  “We’re close on recognizing that we got to work together to send a common message.”

Putin agreed, but hinted that there would be “further substantial intercourse on this issue.”

The United States recently proposed tougher sanctions against Iran for failing to heed U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding that Tehran freeze its uranium enrichment efforts.

Offering a carrot, Russia, the United States and their fellow Security Council members said they would stop seeking new sanctions if Iran pauses uranium enrichment during negotiations.  Tehran has not submitted an answer to this offer, AP reported.

Putin and Bush differ agree that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons but are at odds on how soon that might happen and how exactly to stop Tehran, AP reported (Deb Riechmann, Associated Press/Forbes.com, July 2).

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