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Iran, Iraq on agenda for Bush-Brown talks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-16 19:34 White House officials said Iran's defiance over its nuclear program was likely to figure more prominently than Iraq during Monday's talks between Bush and Brown. With much of Europe still smarting over the Iraq war, Bush has spent a lot of his week-long trip building opposition to Iran's uranium enrichment activities, which the West suspects could be employed to build nuclear bombs. On Saturday, Iran -- which says its nuclear program is solely for power generation -- again ruled out suspending uranium enrichment despite a package of incentives put forward by six world powers. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said at the weekend he expected a formal reply soon from Iran on the incentives package, but senior Iranian member of parliament Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Tehran was in no hurry. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all offered Bush support for efforts to prevent Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, obtaining nuclear weapons. The three UN sanctions resolutions imposed so far on Iran have been relatively limited in scope -- including targeting individuals, some firms with military links and several banks. Flush with record oil revenues that have helped it withstand such sanctions, Iran has long ruled out ending its quest for its own uranium enrichment industry. |
