Speaking whilst opening a new R&D center in Herzliya, Israel, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has gone on record with the gist of Sunday’s statement (via Reuters): “We are not bidding to buy Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO). Yet, we are trying to have discussions about deals with Yahoo that might create value but not a whole acquisition of the company.”

A brief statement for a brief, three-hour visit to Israel. And Ballmer will be hoping to avoid the kind of welcome he received whilst delivering an address at a Hungarian university Monday, when one student got up from his lecture theater seat and pelted him with eggs (video after the jump). “It’s the first time I’ve had an egg thrown at me since 1966,” Ballmer said. Given Microsoft’s faltering pursuit of Yahoo, there would be a line here about having egg on one’s face - except the thrower missed.

The student was protesting an IT training contract the Hungarian government signed with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT). In a whirlwind tour of central and eastern Europe, Ballmer’s diary now looks like this: Ukraine yesterday, Slovakia and Israel today, Czech Republic on Thursday, Russia on Friday. All of which are at least 10 hours ahead of Sunnyvale Standard Time.

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