Bush's style of diplomacy Texas plain talk

WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters) President George W Bush, who irked key allies with his war in Iraq, is pushing diplomacy more in his second term and will use his penchant for Texas plain talk and slapping backs on visits this week to Germany and Russia.

It is a personal trait that will be put to the test again at the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg, Russia, as seeks to maintain a united front against the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran.

Behind the scenes, Bush is a straight talker who lays out his position with little ambiguity, occasionally ruffling feathers.

''You know, I make it clear where I stand...People say, wow, that creates tension. But privately, it doesn't. That's what you've got to know. I work hard to make sure that I've got good personal relationships with these leaders so we can solve problems,'' Bush told reporters on Monday.

Among Group of Eight leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper succeeded leaders who angrily opposed the Iraq war. They seem more likely to give Bush a sympathetic ear, although they each have strong anti-Bush constituencies at home to keep in mind.

That is compared to, for instance, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who ousted Bush's beloved Silvio Berlusconi, a key backer of Bush on Iraq, in an April election.

One of the last times Bush saw Prodi was in 2004 at a G8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia, when the Italian was president of the European Commission, and Bush blew past him on his mountain bike as Prodi strolled on the beach.

SPEWING SAND ''I made some kind of noise, or something startled him out of his walking shoes, you know,'' Bush said. ''My point is, there he was. He was a guy who I felt comfortable enough roaring by on a mountain bike, three Secret Service agents spewing up sand.'' He added: ''I feel comfortable talking to him. He may not agree with me. But the fundamental question I think you're searching for is, can you still have a good relationship even though you disagree on issues? And the answer is, yes.'' Although he is often portrayed as a bit of a bull in a china shop, White House spokesman Tony Snow credited Bush with ''a chess player's ability to think several moves ahead'' in his dealings with foreign leaders.

''He tries to figure out what incentives are going to appeal to people to inspire them in a way that we think is helpful and right. It's a real gift and it's something you don't see unless you are on the inside,'' Snow said.

Bush will likely find kindred spirits in British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who are already close to Bush. They stayed with him on Iraq and managed to survive politically despite it.

In one of the most unusual diplomatic visits in recent memory, Bush took Elvis Presley-fan Koizumi to the singer's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, last month.

At the other end of the spectrum is French President Jacques Chirac, who quarreled with Bush early over Iraq and never really warmed to him.

But, among the leaders he will see in the coming days, Bush's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is probably the most complicated.

Bound together by the war on terrorism, they frequently clash over other issues, such as whether to impose UN sanctions on Iran and North Korea and over whether Russia is sufficiently democratic in US eyes.

Nevertheless, Bush made it sound like he and his wife, Laura, were dropping by the Putins on a social call.

''Laura and I and the Putins will be having dinner, which is a good way to continue our friendship. We've got a good friendship with the Putins,'' Bush said. ''We're comfortable around them.'' REUTERS SY KP0912