Bush Denies Iraqi Talks Signal a Deal : Policy: President gives Baghdad’s ambassador the cold shoulder at reception in Buenos Aires.

President Bush said emphatically Wednesday that the coming U.S.-Iraqi talks, to which Iraq now has given formal approval, do not “have anything to do with concessions” on the demand that Iraqi forces withdraw unconditionally from Kuwait.

With reports from the Middle East suggesting that a deal may be in the works, Bush said he sees no reason for optimism. He said he knows nothing of one report in particular--that Iraq would withdraw from Kuwait and that the emir of Kuwait would return to power if Iraq is given improved access to the Persian Gulf and control of a disputed oil field on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.

Another report, from Cable News Network, said an Iraqi official had said that in the coming talks, all issues will be on the table. Asked if this suggests a softening in Iraq’s position, Bush replied:

“I’m not optimistic. I see no evidence that (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein is ready to comply fully without condition to the U.N. resolutions.”

The resolutions, passed by the U.N. Security Council during the four months since Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, call for a total, unconditional withdrawal. They authorize economic sanctions to exert pressure on Iraq, as well as the use of force, if necessary, after Jan. 15, 1991.

With U.S. and Iraqi officials preparing for the face-to-face meetings, the President said, “I don’t view these talks as having anything to do about concessions that stop short of full implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.” Bush has invited Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz to Washington and has agreed to send Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Baghdad to meet with Hussein.

Iraq said unofficially Saturday that it will take part in the talks. But Washington received no formal acceptance until Wednesday, when the State Department announced that it has been told officially that Aziz will go to Washington and that Hussein will receive Baker in Baghdad.

Bush spoke at a news conference at Casa Rosada, the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, with Argentine President Carlos Saul Menem at his side. Bush is making a weeklong visit to Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina.

During a reception for diplomats at Casa Rosada, Bush responded coldly to Iraq’s ambassador to Argentina, Sahib Hussain Tahir. Bush exchanged a few words with each of the other ambassadors to whom he was introduced, but as the Iraqi approached, the President gave him a stern look, shook hands with him briefly and said nothing beyond “hello.”

Bush’s approach to the question of negotiations reflected what has been his policy throughout the crisis--that he will not negotiate over the occupation of Kuwait. But with the U.S.-Iraqi talks approaching, and the Jan. 15 date looming, questions about paths to possible solutions have been given renewed prominence.

On Tuesday in Uruguay, Bush insisted that he is not in a “negotiating mood.”

Discouraging the continued speculation that the meetings might open the way to an agreement that would end the confrontation between Iraqi troops and an allied force led by the still-growing contingent of 240,000 U.S. troops, Bush said Wednesday that the talks will be “confined by, or put it this way, mandated by the United Nations Security Council resolutions, period.”

The President also scoffed at suggestions that Hussein should be given some way to “save face” in a withdrawal.

“When naked aggression takes place, it’s not a question of finding face for the aggressor,” he said.

Bush was also asked what the United States has done for Argentina in exchange for Argentina’s decision to send a destroyer and a frigate to join the international force arrayed against Iraq.

“I don’t believe Argentina is sending frigates to the gulf to help the United States,” he said. Rather, he said, the vessels were dispatched to take a stand “against this brutal aggression.”

President Menem, Bush said, is “not trying to do us a favor. He’s doing what is right.”

Menem added: “We do not seek . . . anything in return. And, in fact, were it offered, we would not accept it.”