19 June 2006
Iran's Leaders Should View Nuclear Offer as "Historic Opportunity"
Bush says a nuclear-armed Iran would present a "grave threat" to everyone
Washington -- President Bush urged the Iranian government to accept what he termed a “reasonable offer” from the United States and the international community that would give Iran positive incentives in return for halting its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities.
Speaking in his commencement address at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, June 19, Bush said the “unified approach” presented by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany, offers Iran’s leaders “an historic opportunity to set their country on a better course.”
Accepting the offer will help Iran achieve peace, prosperity and a more hopeful future for its people. It would require Iran to abandon any ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons, and to come into compliance with international obligations.
“Iran's leaders have a clear choice,” Bush said. “We hope they will accept our offer and voluntarily suspend these activities, so we can work out an agreement that will bring Iran real benefits.”
However, he added that if the offer is rejected, “it will result in action before the Security Council, further isolation from the world, and progressively stronger political and economic sanctions.”
The president described the behavior of Iran’s regime as “one of the most difficult challenges facing the world today,” not only because of its nuclear activities, but also for sponsoring terrorism, its denial of liberty and human rights to the Iranian people, and its threats to destroy Israel.
Bush said he wanted the Iranian people to know that the United States respects them and their country, as well as their “legitimate desire” for civilian nuclear energy.
“We believe the Iranian people should enjoy the benefits of a truly peaceful program to use nuclear reactors to generate electric power. So America supports the Iranian people's rights to develop nuclear energy peacefully, with proper international safeguards,” he said.
Bush said the United States is providing more than $75 million in 2006 “to promote openness and freedom for the Iranian people,” and is looking for new ways to increase contacts between Americans and Iranians “especially in education and culture, sports and tourism.”
He said the Iranian people “want and deserve an opportunity to determine their own future, an economy that rewards their intelligence and talents, and a society that allows them to pursue their dreams,” and said they would thrive if given more opportunities to travel, study and do business around the world.
“We look forward to the day when our nations are friends, and when the people of Iran enjoy the full fruits of liberty, and play a leading role to establish peace in our world,” Bush said.
The president also highlighted cooperation between the United States and the European Union ahead of the U.S.-EU Summit which will be held in Vienna, Austria, June 21.
A transcript of the president’s remarks is available on the White House Web site.
For additional information on U.S. policy, see Middle East and North Africa and Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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