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Q: But [the president] signaled yesterday with Syria and Iran that he still is holding the same position, saying that Iran has got to suspend their enrichment, but the Baker-Hamilton group said there shouldn't be any precondition.

MR. SNOW: Well, what it said -- well, on the other hand, it also did not question that condition. As you know, what they did is they set aside the U.N. Security Council issue, and they did not quibble with it, because the Security Council has had the same condition. And I read that as they're accepting the U.N. Security Council's demand that Iran does, in fact, suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities.

What you have is a set aside, a different thing, that said that the United States should do diplomatic engagement. Well, guess what? We have been. Zal Khalilzad, when he was Ambassador to Afghanistan, had talked to the Iranians about border issues. Colin Powell had been in a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in which there were Iranians in attendance in 2004. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, has been in meetings with Iranians with regard to the Iraq compact. It is not clear whether that does or does not meet the conditions, the notion of direct engagement. But this much is clear: If you're going to have talks, you have to have something constructive to discuss. And it is important to realize that it's not simply an exercise in chatter, but something in trying to get a job done.

And it is important that the Iranians understand that they need to be playing a constructive role not merely in Iraq, but also in the larger Middle East; and, furthermore, that it is not going to be possible, it is not acceptable to use good behavior in Iraq as a bargaining chip on a potential nuclear program that could destabilize the region and potentially the entire world.

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