Bush urges Iran to 'come clean' on nuclear work

Dec 5, 2007, 16:19 GMT

U.S. President George W. Bush holds a news conference in the Brady press briefing room at the White House in Washington DC USA on 04 December 2007. Bush discussed the latest National Intelligence Estimate about the state of Iran\'s nuclear program. EPA/MATTHEW CAVANAUGH

Washington - US President George W Bush urged Iran on Wednesday to 'come clean' about its nuclear activities or face further international isolation.

Bush said Iran should halt uranium enrichment and enter negotiations with the United States and Europe to end the dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

'The Iranians have a strategic choice to make,' Bush said. 'They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities and fully accept a longstanding offer to suspend their enrichment program and come to the table and negotiate.'

Bush's remarks came one day after he said US policy will not change in light of a new US intelligence assessment that Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 but continues to enrich uranium in defiance of the UN Security Council.

Despite the intelligence, Bush said the United States will pursue more sanctions through the Security Council and has sought to keep up international support for a resolution. Bush said the report known as the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) showed Iran had a covert weapons programme and failed to disclose it to the UN nuclear monitoring body known as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

'It is clear from the latest NIE that the Iranian government has more to explain about its nuclear intentions and past actions, especially the covert nuclear weapons program pursued into the fall of 2003 which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge,' he said.

Bush telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with her counterparts in Germany, France and China as well as with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who has led negotiations with Iran.