EU backs Bush on Iran, N Korea Korea

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that his country will respond to the proposal by mid-August, but Bush said it shouldn’t take the Iranians ‘‘that long.’’ The summit host, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel—whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 25-nation EU—said it’s best for Iran to agree to the proposal as soon as possible. ‘‘This is the carrot. Take it,’’ Schuessel said.

On North Korea, Schuessel agreed with Bush that the Communist country faces further isolation from the international community if it test fires a long-range missile believed capable of reaching US soil.

‘‘It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes who have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles,’’ Bush said. ‘‘This is not the way you conduct business in the world.’’

Schuessel said Europe would support the US against North Korea if it test fires the missile. ‘‘If that happens, there will be a strong statement and a strong answer from the international community. And Europe will be part of it. There’s no doubt.’’

North Korea today offered direct talks with the US over the missile issue but a top US envoy rejected the request.

US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said a missile threat wasn’t the way to seek dialogue. ‘‘You don’t normally engage in conversations by threatening to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, and it’s not a way to produce a conversation,’’ Bolton told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

Bush acknowledged past disputes about the US-led invasion of Iraq as well as European concerns about the 460 detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. ‘‘I understand their concerns, I’d like to end Guantanamo. I’d like it to be over with.’’

About 1,200 students chanting ‘‘Bush Go Home!’’ rallied at a train station to protest his visit to the capital, where 1,000 police officers were assigned solely to deal with demonstrators with another 2,000 patrolling the city. Demonstrators waved black flags, blew whistles, beat drums and shouted, ‘‘Hey, ho, Bush has got to go!’’ Others carried banners and signs that said ‘‘World’s No. 1 Terrorist.’’JENNIFER LOVEN