The Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said on Monday that a letter from Ahmadinejad to Bush was delivered to the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which handles America's interests in Iran. Although the exact details of the missive have not been made public, the Iranian president is apparently looking to defuse the tensions between Washington and Tehran.

"In this letter, he has given an analysis of the current world situation, of the root of existing problems and of new ways of getting out of the current delicate situation in the world," Elham told a weekly press conference, according to the Associated Press.

America and Iran have had no diplomatic ties since the 1980 hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. The letter would be the first direct contact between the leaders of two countries since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. Normally known for his inflammatory rhetoric, the letter marks a new approach by hard-liner Ahmadinejad in his attempt to avoid sanctions by the international community  over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

The foreign ministers of the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany are to discuss a possible way out of the nuclear dispute in New York on Monday. France and Britain have tabled a draft resolution supported by the United States and Germany that demands an end to Iran's uranium-enrichment program. But China and Russia, which both have substantial economic ties to Iran, are calling for changes to the draft. They fear the resolution could lead to sanctions being imposed on the mullah regime.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed after a telephone conversation on Sunday evening that any UN resolution needed to give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "the necessary power," according to Chirac's office, to force Iran to end its enrichment activities. Merkel also spoke earlier with Russia's President Putin and discussed Iran with President Bush  during her trip to Washington last week.

Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani traveled to Turkey on Monday seeking to bolster support for Tehran's position. Iran says it wants a nuclear program only for civilian uses, but the West remains skeptical and believes Tehran wants the bomb.