Austria ? President Bush’s decision to send a senior U.S. envoy to Europe for the first face-to-face talks with Iran on its nuclear program represents a step away from military confrontation with Tehran, and a possible move toward diplomatic resolution of the crisis.

The White House confirmed Wednesday that Bush has authorized Undersecretary of State William Burns, the department’s No. 3 official, to attend talks Saturday in Geneva between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

It was a significant concession for an administration that has until now refused nuclear talks with Iran until it suspended its enrichment of uranium that could be used to build nuclear warheads.