Bush: Iran's leader taking country 'out of step'

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) US President George W Bush called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad out of step with the rest of the world and said yesterday there was a ''better way forward'' for the Iranian people.

The Iranian leader has sought to isolate his country by questioning the Holocaust and pursuing a nuclear weapon, Mr Bush said at a news conference.

He criticised Iran for hosting a two-day meeting this month which aired doubts about the killing of 6 million Jews during World War Two. The gathering sparked international condemnation.

''I was amazed that once again there was this conference about the Holocaust that heralded a really backward view of the history of the world,'' Mr Bush said.

''And all that said to me was, is that the leader in Iran is willing to say things that really hurts his country and further isolates the Iranian people,'' he said.

He did not mention Mr Ahmadinejad by name, nor did he discuss an apparent setback for the Iranian president's allies in elections last week.

A high-powered US Iraq Study Group has recommended opening a dialogue with Iran and Syria to help stabilise Iraq, but Mr Bush has repeatedly said those two countries must first take steps to end threatening activities in the region.

The United States is pressing for a UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is a cover for developing weapons. Iran says it is for civilian purposes.

''My message to the Iranian people is, you can do better than to have somebody try to rewrite history. You can do better than somebody who hasn't strengthened your economy. And you can do better than having somebody who's trying to develop a nuclear weapon that the world believes you shouldn't have,'' Mr Bush said. ''There's a better way forward.'' The Iranian elections, for local councils and a clerical oversight body, suggested that moderate conservative and reformist candidates fared better than close allies of Mr Ahmadinejad.

''This is a proud nation with a fantastic history and tradition,'' Mr Bush said. ''And yet they've got a leader who constantly sends messages to the world that Iran is out of step with the majority of thinkers.'' The United States has told Syria it must stop arms and money crossing its border into Iraq that is fueling some of the violence, and to stop interfering in Lebanon, Mr Bush said.

The Bush administration backs Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government. ''He's shown a lot of tenacity and toughness in the face of enormous pressure from Syria, as well as Hezbollah, which is funded by Iran,'' Mr Bush said.

''What I would suggest, that if they (Syria) are interested in better relations with the United States, that they take some concrete, positive steps that promote peace, as opposed to instability,'' he said.

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