President Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Meet to Discuss Iran, Iraq, Global Warming

This weekend President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed members of the press in Crawford, Texas after meeting to discuss a number of important issues. On the table for discussion were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tensions with Iran over that country's alleged nuclear aspirations, and global warming. The following report is based upon a transcript of the event posted on the White House website.

President Bush told members of the press that he had thanks the Chancellor for Germany's support on the issue of Afghanistan. He expressed gratitude towards German troops stationed in Afghanistan, saying that they are working to bring liberty to the Afghani people.

President Bush also told reporters that the two had discuss the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. "I believe we can solve it diplomatically," Bush said. He said that the free world does not want Iran to be able to make nuclear weapons and that the U.S., Germany, and other nations must work together to prevent that from happening. The President also acknowledged past differences between Germany and the U.S. on the issue of Iraq, but thanked the Chancellor for her country's increased willingness to lend a hand there.

President Bush also said that the two leaders had a long talk about climate change. The president said that the U.S. was committed to finding solutions to the problem. In a surprising statement Bush said that be believed, "...it was possible to have the technologies necessary to deal with this issue without ruining our economy."

Chancellor Merkel also addressed reporters at the event. She said that the pair had discussed the need to strengthen Afghanistan's police and military forces. She also said that she agreed with Mr. Bush's diagnosis of the situation in Iran, calling it a serious threat. The Chancellor also concurred with the President's expressed desire to see the crisis resolved diplomatically. On global warming Merkel said that she was optimistic that the U.S. and the European Union would be able to find common ground on that issue during an upcoming conference in Indonesia.

The president then took questions from reporters. Asked about the situation in Pakistan President Bush emphasized that the U.S. and Pakistan share the goal of eradicating al Qaeda. But he also vocalized his support for a free society in Pakistan. The president spoke about Pakistan's military dictator, President Musharraf, with guarded optimism, saying that, "I do want to remind that he has declared he will take off his uniform, and he has declared that there will be elections, which are positive steps."