Bush: The World Should Not Allow Iran to Produce Nuclear Weapons - 2003-07-30

President Bush has called on other nations to join the United States in persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Mr. Bush stated on Wednesday at a press conference at the White House that he wants European countries, in particular, to send a clear message to Iran regarding this issue. The U.S. President mentioned that he recently discussed Iran's nuclear program with Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister of Italy, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Mr. Bush expressed his belief that this issue could be resolved peacefully but added that all options remain open. Regarding other matters, Mr. Bush reiterated his support for the democracy movement in Iran, stating that the U.S. stands with the Iranian people striving for this goal. He referenced the efforts of Persian-language satellite television stations in Los Angeles to broadcast programs to Iran, which have a large audience. Mr. Bush also noted that Iran has accepted the detention of suspected al-Qaeda members, calling this a positive development, and expressed his preference for al-Qaeda members to be detained rather than roaming freely and planning further attacks. The U.S. President expressed hope that Iran would comply with requests to return suspects to their home countries.