ROME -Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi offered US president George W Bush his country's "inside knowledge" of Iran yesterday to help in talks aimed at persuading Tehran to stop enriching uranium.
"Our offer is based on the fact that we know Iran very well from the inside," Mr Berlusconi said after an hour-long discussion between the two leaders in Rome. "We have some leading companies that are operating there," the Italian premier told a joint news conference with Mr Bush.
The West fears enriched Iranian uranium could be used for a nuclear bomb. Iran says its uranium is only for power generation.
Mr Bush stressed that he would prefer to resolve the dispute by diplomatic means, but repeated that "all options are on the table", a refrain he has repeated in an attempt to convince Tehran that the US will consider military action to stop it obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Mr Berlusconi repeated Italy's standing offer to join the group negotiating with Iran, formed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. Italy is one of Iran's biggest trading partners in Europe.
"I told Silvio I would seriously consider it," Mr Bush said. "I also made it clear however, that all of us, 'P5 plus 1' or not, need to be sending the same message to the Iranians, which is 'verifiably suspend your enrichment programme or else you will face further sanctions and further isolation', " he said.