BRUSSELS: President George Bush has dismissed as "ridiculous" the suggestion that Washington is preparing to take military action against Iran, although he declined to rule out any option to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Speaking in Brussels on the second day of a fence-mending tour of Europe, Mr Bush said he was getting "good advice" from EU leaders on how to deal with Iran.
"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table," he said.
During separate meetings at NATO and EU headquarters, Mr Bush and the European leaders discussed issues including Iran, Iraq, the Middle East peace process, Russia, Ukraine and climate change.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, described the meeting with EU leaders as "enormously friendly", in sharp contrast to a disastrous EU-US summit in the Swedish city of Gothenburg four years ago. "That was a fairly terrible meeting in every way . . . It was bad on the streets, it was bad everywhere, it was a bad meeting. Today was the opposite end of the world. It was enormously friendly," he said.
Belgian police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters near the EU headquarters after petrol bombs were thrown at them during an otherwise peaceful demonstration.
Despite the meeting's cordial atmosphere, Mr Bush and EU leaders were unable to conceal their differences over Iran and the EU's plan to lift its arms embargo on China.
Germany's Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, told Mr Bush that the EU should offer to sell Tehran an Airbus aircraft as an incentive to engage in talks on its nuclear programme.
The French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, urged Mr Bush to back Europe's diplomatic engagement with Iran and defended the use of economic incentives.
"It seems to me legitimate to make a gesture in the area of Iran's bid for WTO membership and wish to buy civil aircraft engines. I don't see why that shouldn't be done and I said so to the President of the United States," he said.
Mr Bush said he would consider an EU proposal to tighten up its code of conduct on arms sales to ensure that lifting the arms embargo on China would not threaten US security interests in the region.
"There is deep concern in our country that the transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan," he said
But he added later: "I am told that they've heard the concerns of the United States, they're listening to the concerns of the administration."
Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said that the EU and the US had offered to host a joint conference to organise international help for reconstruction in Iraq.
"The United States and Europe stand together in support of the Iraqi people. Should the Iraqi government invite us, the European Union and the United States are prepared to co-host an international conference . . . to coordinate international support for Iraq," he said.
Mr Ahern said he believed Mr Bush and his administration had calculated that a more accommodating approach towards European concerns was in the US interest.
"I think the Americans have decided that it's far better on these international issues that the European Union can be a good friend and ally if they work with them," he said.
Today Mr Bush travels to Germany where he will meet Mr Schröder and visit US forces in Wiesbaden. He will leave for Slovakia later today.