Rice Says U.S. Won't Join Europe in Iran Nuclear Talks
/Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the United
States would rebuff European efforts to bring it into negotiations with
Iran aimed at preventing the Islamic state from developing nuclear
weapons. Flying to Europe for her first trip abroad as secretary, she
told reporters that the United States was confronting the theocratic
government in Tehran in "a variety of ways" with "a variety of
different partners" to end its nuclear weapons ambitions, support for
Islamic extremism, interference in Iraq and human rights violations.
Her unusually strong words signaled that the Bush administration would
take a more robust stand against Iran during the president's second
term. "It's not the absence of anybody's involvement that's keeping the
Iranians from knowing what they need to do," Rice told reporters. "They
need to live up to their obligations. They need to agree to
verification and to stop trying to hide activities under cover of
civilian nuclear power." Iran could emerge as one of the most
contentious issues during Rice's premiere as the top U.S. diplomat, the
first African American woman to hold that post. Her trip is intended on
both sides of the Atlantic to help smooth relations that were damaged
by disagreements over the invasion of Iraq and other Middle East
issues. She will also prepare the way for a European trip by President
Bush later this month. Three European nations -- Britain, France and
Germany -- have been negotiating with Iran since 2003 over a deal to
ensure that its legal nuclear energy program is not subverted to
develop weapons of mass destruction. [more]
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