21 June 2006
Iran Should Respond to Nuclear Offer Soon, Say U.S. and EU
Summit in Vienna also discussed Doha round of WTO talks, Guantánamo
Washington -- President Bush and European Union (EU) leaders together called on Iran to respond to the international community’s offer concerning its nuclear activities, warning that “time is limited,” and that its answer should come in “weeks, not months.”
Bush made remarks to the press with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and EU President Jose Manuel Barroso June 21 at the U.S.-EU Summit in Vienna.
“[I]t shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a reasonable deal,” the president said, and the Iranian government’s stated intention to respond to the package of incentives on August 22 “seems like an awful long time for a reasonable answer.”
He repeated that the United States is willing to join France, Germany and the United Kingdom, collectively known as the EU-3, in their direct negotiations with Iran once Tehran verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities. (See Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.)
“The Iranians have said that they will end uranium enrichment activities before. That's what they told the EU-3. We're just asking them to do what they already said they would do,” Bush said.
“I'm convinced that when they look and see that we're working very closely together, that they will see the seriousness of our intent to resolve this in a diplomatic and peaceful way.”
Austrian Chancellor Schuessel said, “time is limited, and I think we should not play with time.”
“I think now is the right moment for Iran to take this offer, to grab it and to negotiate,” he said, adding that the deal is “well-balanced,” and has benefited from the participation of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Organization, as well as scientists and experts.
“[T]his is their ‘kyros.’ Take it. This is my advice,” Schuessel said, using the Greek word that means “the right moment.”
NORTH KOREA ON THE AGENDA
On North Korea, President Bush noted that country’s previous agreement not to test-fire long-range ballistic missiles, and said it is the global interest “to know what they're testing, [and] what they intend to do on their tests.” (See related article.)
“It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes that have announced that they've got nuclear warheads fire missiles,” he said.
Chancellor Schuessel said if Pyongyang carries through with its threat to test the missiles, “there will be a strong statement and a strong answer from the international community, and Europe will be part of it. So there's no doubt.”
GLOBAL TRADE
Bush and EU leaders also discussed the Doha round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, noting continued differences in their positions, but expressing hope for an agreement that would increase global prosperity.
President Bush said both sides are “committed to a successful round,” despite having to make “difficult adjustments” in their policies to advance negotiations.
“[W]e can't let this round fail,” Bush said. “A failed WTO round would be missed opportunity, particularly to help people … who are impoverished,” adding that trade is more effective than foreign aid in helping to “lift people out of poverty.”
EU President Barroso said the Doha negotiations are “at a crucial phase,” but said after the day’s discussions in Vienna, “I'm really convinced that it's possible to have a successful outcome of the Doha talks,” which he said are “crucially important” to trade, the global economy and international development.
For additional information, see USA and the WTO.
TERRORISM AND DETAINEES
The three leaders also discussed the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. President Bush said the United States and the EU are “working through the issue,” and repeated his desire to close the facility and send the approximately 400 enemy combatants, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Yemen, to their home countries. “I'd like it to be over with,” he said, noting that 200 combatants have already been sent back.
However, he said that some of the combatants, captured in the war on terrorism, need to be tried in U.S. courts. “[T]hey're cold-blooded killers. They will murder somebody if they're let out on the street,” Bush said.
Chancellor Schuessel said the EU is calling for Guantánamo to be closed, arguing that it creates a “legal void” in the fight against terrorism, but he welcomed Bush’s stated desire to close the facility.
He also said there were “clear signals and clear commitments from the American side” against torture, and said the EU should find a way to “help countries to take back the prisoners, either to charge them or to release them.” (See Detainee Issues.)
President Barroso highlighted several accomplishments of the summit in his remarks, such as the establishment of a high-level dialogue on climate change, clean energy, sustainable development; a strategy to protect intellectual property rights; efforts to combat economic protectionism, including the possible finalization of an air transport agreement; and the possible establishment of reciprocal visa-free travel between EU countries and the United States.
Chancellor Schuessel also said an agreement had been reached to allow the expansion of higher education and vocational training programs between the U.S. and EU, which would reach “three times more students than before.”
The transcript of the news conference, as well as copies of U.S.-EU Summit documents are available on the White House Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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