Feb 1, 2006, 20:31 GMT
Washington - Coming off his State of the Union address one night earlier, US President George W. Bush went on the road to promote his foreign policy and domestic agenda.
Speaking in Nashville, Tennessee, Bush urged Americans to continue to support the war effort in Iraq, defended a surveillance programme aimed at intercepting terrorist communications and advocated cutting America's reliance on foreign oil.
Bush also warned Hamas, which prevailed in Palestinian legislative elections last week, that it must renounce violence if it want to work as a partner for peace with the United States.
'If they want to work with the United States of America, they must renounce their desire to destroy Israel,' he said.
Bush said Iran cannot be permitted to develop nuclear weapons and reiterated support for the Iranian people's desire to live in a free society.
'Freedom has the capacity to convert enemies into allies,' Bush said.
Bush telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss the international effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
The call took place one day before the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing board is to meet in Vienna and consider a US-EU request to refer the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council.
Your Talkback on this Story