US News
Iran letter failed to address concerns about nuclear activities
By DPA
May 10, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - US President George W Bush on Wednesday said a letter sent to him by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad failed to address international concerns about Iran\'s nuclear activities.

\'It looks like it did not answer the main question that the world is asking and that is, \'When will you get rid of your nuclear programme?\'\' Bush said in an interview with Florida newspapers posted on the website of the Saint Petersburg Times.

Bush\'s comments were the first since the letter\'s existence emerged on Monday in what is believed to be the first presidential contact between the two countries in 27 years.

The letter focussed on the failure of democratic governments and criticized Bush\'s foreign policy.

\'Britain, France, Germany - coupled with the United States and Russia and China have all agreed that the Iranians should not have a weapon or the capacity to make a weapon,\' Bush said. \'There is a universal agreement toward that goal and the letter didn\'t address that question.\'

The six countries mentioned by Bush met in New York this week seeking an agreed strategy to address concerns Iran is using a civilian energy programme to develop atomic weapons, a charge Iran denies.

Chinese and Russian opposition to a legally binding Security Council resolution that could allow sanctions or force if Iran did not comply with demands to come clear about its nuclear activities forced a delay on the council.

\'Diplomacy takes a while when you are dealing with different nations,\' Bush said.

Instead, Britain, France and Germany, which have led negotiations with Iran in the last three years, will present Iran with clear options that include incentives for coming clean on its nuclear activities or possible penalties if it does not cooperate.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that delaying Security Council action on Iran was aimed at keeping UN powers united.

\'We felt that two weeks to continue to try to work for Council unity was well worth it,\' Rice said after meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.