Rice Makes Her Debut in Europe as Top Diplomat

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in her debut trip abroad Friday as America’s senior diplomat, said that a U.S. invasion of Iran was “simply not on the agenda at this point in time,” but repeatedly warned Iran to resolve doubts about its nuclear ambitions.

Rice spoke forcefully about Iran at a Foreign Office news conference in London with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at her side, and later in Berlin, next to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. All sides insisted that Europe and the United States agreed on the issues of democracy and nuclear proliferation in Iran.

U.S. officials present Rice’s trip as an effort to show European allies that President Bush’s second-term administration is committed to working more closely with them diplomatically.

Her trip also signaled a willingness to take a hands-on role in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the Middle East.

Rice planned to travel to the Mideast this weekend, and also announced that she would take part in a conference in London on March 1 aimed at helping the Palestinian Authority create structures that would prepare it to someday govern an independent state.

The conference is an initiative of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has argued that the United States should make Mideast peace a higher priority because any movement toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians would create a more wholesome environment in the region and pay dividends for world security.

Rice, however, focused most of her comments Friday on Iran. Just days earlier, in his State of the Union address, President Bush had labeled the theocratic leadership in Tehran as the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism.

In harsher terms than are normally spoken in Europe, Rice laid down a thoroughgoing indictment of the “unelected few” who are in charge of Iran, castigating what she called their abysmal record on human rights, their murky attitude toward democratic changes in Iraq and Afghanistan and their willingness to frustrate the aspirations of their own people.

She said the United States and Britain were united in their desire for a democratic and transparent Iran.

In response to a question about the possibility of an attack on Iran, she said: “The question is simply not on the agenda at this point in time. You know we have diplomatic means to do this. Iran is not immune to the changes that are going on in this region.

“Frankly, the Iranians ought to take the opportunity that is being presented to them to show that they want to live up to their international obligations,” Rice said.

At the same time, Rice said that the United States endorsed talks going on between Iran and three European Union governments: Britain, France and Germany. The negotiations are intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear-weapons capability under the guise of building civilian nuclear power plants.

“We believe, while no one ever asked the American president to take any option off the table, that there are plenty of diplomatic means at our disposal to get the Iranians to finally live up to their international obligations,” she said.

Later, in Germany, she said that “unity of message to the Iranians” from Washington and Europe would help diplomacy work.

Appearing relaxed and confident in her new job, Rice began her travels in Britain, with whom the United States enjoys a “special relationship,” and continued to Germany, where things have been much more testy in recent years.

Rice had breakfast with Prime Minister Tony Blair at his 10 Downing Street office before conferring with Straw and meeting representatives of the international media based here. She also had an off-the-record meeting with “opinion makers” in Britain.

Blair set a cheery, informal note with Rice, calling her “Condi” in the presence of reporters and saying she was “a good friend of ours” and “an absolutely excellent appointment.” Even in Berlin and Paris, it seemed that Rice could count on a forward-looking reception from a Europe eager to move past the recent strain in the transatlantic alliance.

Most analysts believe that Bush’s undisputed reelection, his declarations that he is committed to working with America’s allies and the successful completion of the Iraqi elections have made better relations possible.

In Berlin, Rice and Schroeder gave every appearance of good feeling and friendliness Friday evening, talking for a full hour rather than the 40 minutes scheduled and smiling broadly afterward.

They sought to put to rest any lingering tensions over Germany’s opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since then, Germany has agreed to help train security forces for the new Iraqi government, but has not contributed any of its troops to Iraq.

Schroeder said at a news conference that Germany was in basic accord with what Bush expressed about Iran in his State of the Union address.

“I’ve understood from the president’s address that his heart is where it should be, namely with the democrats,” the German leader said.

“What tools should be ideally used to get to this desired state of having democratic circumstances in a country, that is a discussion that will continue.”

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Christian Retzlaff of The Times’ Berlin Bureau contributed to this report.