BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush urged Iran on Monday to end its support for terrorism, warning that Tehran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
"In Iran, the free world shares a common goal for the sake of peace," Bush said in a keynote speech in Brussels, where he is seeking to bury the hatchet with Europe over the Iraq war.
"The Iranian regime must end support for terrorism and must not develop nuclear weapons," he said in the Belgian capital, where he arrived Sunday on his first stop in a three-country European trip.
Washington has alleged that the Islamic Republic is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies, saying that its nuclear programme is completely peaceful.
European nations, led by France, Britain and Germany, have been seeking to persuade Iran to comply with international obligations in return for a lucrative package of trade deals.
But Washington has been pressing for Iran to be brought before the UN Security Council, which could choose to impose sanctions. And fears have mounted that Washington could resort to military strikes against suspected Iranian nuclear plants.
"In safeguarding the security of free nations no option can be taken permanently off the table," Bush told the crowd of European dignitaries.
"Iran however is different from Iraq," he assured the audience, referring to Washington's unilateral decision to invade Iraq in March 2003.
"We're in the early stages of diplomacy. ... We're working closely with Britain, France and Germany, as they oppose Iran's nuclear ambitions and as they insist that Iran comply with international law."
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is leading efforts to bring Iran into line, has called on the United States to join the European effort.
Its head, Mohamed ElBaradei, said the European efforts can succeed only "if the United States joins in and throws its weight behind it.
"Progress is difficult to conceive without Washington," ElBaradei told the weekly Der Spiegel, adding, "We need a common front."
But Bush warned: "The results of this approach now depend largely on Iran."
He added: "We also look to Iran to finally deliver on promised reform. The time has arrived for the Iranian regime to listen to the Iranian people and respect their rights and join in the movement toward liberty that is taking place all around them."
02/21/2005 14:26 GMT - AFP