Cheney warns of Iran's nuclear ambition
By Caren Bohan 2 hours, 27 minutes ago
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Vice President
Dick Cheney said on Saturday that the United States and its allies must not allow
Iran to become a nuclear power and raised concerns about Tehran's actions and "inflammatory" rhetoric.
The stern comments from Cheney, who is known for his hawkish views, followed Tehran's refusal to heed a U.N. deadline to halt uranium enrichment and a vow by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stand up to the rest of the world and not show weakness by acceding to the West's demands.
"They have made some fairly inflammatory statements," Cheney said of Iran at a joint Sydney news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "They appear to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons."
"We are deeply concerned and have made it very clear we're deeply concerned about Iran's activities," he said.
Iran insists that it is not trying to acquire nuclear weapons and its enrichment activities are for peaceful purposes.
In addition to Iran, the two leaders touched on issues ranging from the
Iraq war to China and Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks.
Howard pressed his insistence on a speedy trial for Hicks.
The prime minister also offered warnings about Iran, saying that a sudden withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would only bolster Iran's clout and influence in the Middle East.
"I can't think of a country whose influence and potential clout would be more enhanced in that part of the world than Iran's would be," if the United States and its allies were to be forced to exit Iraq, Howard said.
"That would be a nightmare scenario," he added.
Cheney said he was concerned about Iran's "fairly aggressive" role in the Middle East, not just its decision to ignore the U.N. deadline.
"ALL OPTIONS"
He said "all options are on the table" on Iran. The Bush administration has long maintained that it is focused on diplomacy but tacitly acknowledges that the military option has not been ruled out.
Still, the administration's tough comments on Iran have been met with concern by some in the U.S. Congress and have even rattled financial markets.
Cheney said that a peaceful resolution to the nuclear standoff with Iran was "still our preference."
The Weekend Australian newspaper reported on Saturday that Cheney had endorsed U.S. Republican Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record)'s view that the only thing worse than a military confrontation with Iran would be a nuclear-armed Iran.
Cheney, who stopped in Australia after a visit to Tokyo, had harsh words about China in a speech on Thursday, citing concerns about its rapid military build-up.
HOWARD'S SOFTER TONE
Howard took a decidedly softer tone on China, saying Australia takes a "realistic" view of Beijing's government but also values its close ties with the country.
Anti-Iraq war protesters have scuffled with police during Cheney's visit. The war has become a growing problem for Howard's conservative government, which has slumped in opinion polls ahead of elections due in the second half of 2007.
Cheney underscored that he had no intention of trying to press Howard for a bigger troop contribution in Iraq because such decisions were up to Australia.
He said that Hicks was "near the head of the queue" to be tried and that every effort was being made to move the legal process forward. But he said the Bush administration's hands were tied to some extent because it could not interfere with the U.S. military commission that is to try Hicks.
"We're not allowed to call over and say when are you going to be through, or what are you going to decide?" Cheney said. "But I do expect in the not too distant future that piece of the process will get resolved."
After wrapping up their talks, Cheney and Howard, who have been friends for years, headed off to go boating in the harbor. Cheney is to leave Australia on Sunday.
(Additional reporting by Paul Tait in SYDNEY)