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China and Russia are united in pushing for more diplomacy to resolve the Iranian Nuclear Issue, China said on Tuesday, a day after the two deflected Western moves to authorize U.N. Security Council threats against Iran.

After more than two weeks of discussions, the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council -- China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France -- have been unable to agree on a Draft Statement that tells Iran to stop enriching uranium.

"China and Russia have common views on how to resolve the Iranian Nuclear Issue," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news conference. "Our objectives are to solve the issue in a peaceful way through negotiations," he said, as Chinese President Hu Jintao' and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Beijing.

Envoys close to the talks on the draft statement said Russia, backed by China, was toughest on its provisions, objecting to its setting a two-week deadline for the IAEA to report whether Tehran has complied, saying the time limit is too short. But underscoring the urgency to reach a resolution, U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated that Washington was ready to use military force against Iran if necessary.

"The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally
Israel" he said in a speech to the City Club of Cleveland. "That's a threat, a serious threat. It's a threat to world peace... I made it clear, I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally, Israel."

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Funny...I remember Bush saying something a little bit different only a year ago:

"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous," Bush said. "And having said that, all options are on the table." (February 2005)