Iran's Aug date for atom reply is 'long time': Bush

VIENNA, June 21 (Reuters) U S President George W Bush said today Iran's plan to reply by late August to a big power offer of incentives to halt nuclear work was ''an awful long time'' for an answer.

''It should not take the Iranians that long to analyse what is a reasonable deal,'' Bush told a news conference after talks in Vienna.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said shortly before Bush spoke that Tehran would respond to the proposal by Aug. 22.

Bush has said Iran should have weeks, not months, to answer. The six major powers have set an informal deadline of mid-July, when a Group of Eight industrialised nations summit is planned.

REUTERS SHR HT1938