Bush thanks Europe for diplomatic efforts in Iran

US President George W Bush said today that European diplomatic efforts were just beginning to try to rein in Iran's nuclear programme…

US President George W Bush said today that European diplomatic efforts were just beginning to try to rein in Iran's nuclear programme and comparisons with Iraq were wrong.

"Iran is not Iraq. We just started the diplomatic efforts and I want to thank our friends for taking the lead. We will work with them to convince the mullahs that they need to give up their nuclear ambitions," Mr Bush told a news conference after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

US President George W Bush with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder today
US President George W Bush with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder today

"You know yesterday I was asked about a US decision and I said all options are on the table. That's part of our position. But I also reminded people that diplomacy is just beginning," he said.

He said yesterday the idea that he was preparing to bomb Iran was "ridiculous" but also added that "all options are on the table", a clear reference to the possibility of military action.

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Mr Bush repeated today his verbal support to efforts by Britain, France and Germany to negotiate a deal under which Iran would abandon uranium enrichment that could be used to make a bomb in return for trade benefits and security guarantees.

However, he stopped short of saying that Washington would engage in any dialogue. "Let me just make this very clear. The party that has caused these discussions to occur in the first place is the Iranians. And the reason we are having these discussions is because they were caught enriching uranium after they had signed a treaty saying they wouldn't enrich uranium," Mr Bush said.

"They are the party that needs to be held to account, not any of us," he added. Iran has insisted it will never abandon its right to nuclear technology including uranium enrichment but denies it is seeking atomic weapons.

At the same press conference, Mr Bush said the United States would wait to see how Syria responds to international demands to withdraw from Lebanon before possibly seeking UN sanctions.

Mr Bush said the withdrawal demand applies not just to Syrian troops but also to Syrian secret services. "We will see how they (the Syrians) respond before there are any further discussions about going back to the United Nations," he said after consultations on the matter with European leaders this week

Mr Bush wants Syria to adhere to last September's UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the removal of the Syrian troops, and for Damascus to allow free and fair elections in Lebanon.

US officials have been discussing what punitive measures Washington could take on its own to punish Syria for its dominance of Lebanon in the wake of the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Washington has stopped short of directly blaming Syria for the death. Acting under the Syria Accountability Act and other US laws, Mr Bush in May banned most US exports to Syria other than food and medicine, severed banking relations with the Commercial Bank of Syria and barred Syrian flights to and from the United States.

Other steps he could take under the act include prohibiting US businesses from investing or operating in Syria, barring Syrian diplomats in the United States from traveling more than 25 miles (40 km) from Washington or New York, and reducing diplomatic contacts.