Brown says Iran sanctions will work

Gordon Brownhas said that sanctions "will work" against Iran.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Monday, the prime minister backed a diplomatic solution to the stand-off with Tehran over its nuclear development programme.

The comments came after a renewed bout of speculation in Washington that the White House is considering support for military strikes.

But Brown said sanctions should be pursued and strengthened first.

"Our policy of working with the other major powers [is] to make it clear to Iran that it is unacceptable to do what they are doing in the development of nuclear power for the threat that it may pose for nuclear weapons," he said.

"That we will continue with the policy of sanctions. It is likely that there will be a further UN resolution.

"I believe that the work of sanctions is having some effect and I believe that it will continue to do so.

"We will take whatever measures are necessary to strengthen the sanctions regime in the future."

Asked whether this meant he was playing down the prospect of military action, Brown said he was "ruling nothing out".

However he added: "I believe that sanctions will work."

He also again said there would be no loosening of the ties between Britain and the US under his leadership.

"Relationships between a British prime minister and an American president will be strong, should be strong and I believe will be strengthened in the months and years to come," he insisted.

"The American relationship for Britain is our strongest bilateral relationship and I am determined to do everything in my power to make sure it is strong and effective in the work it does not just between our two countries but for the whole world."

Middle East

On the ongoing instability in the Middle East, Brown welcomed Tony Blair's visit to the region as a peace envoy on "what is a very important mission".

"We have also said that we will provide whatever economic support can buttress a peace process in the area and I look forward to being able to work with him and the whole of the Quartet as we try and combine measures for security and measures for economic development in the area," he said.

He also welcomed President Bush's recent reaffirmation of his commitment to a two-state solution and last week's meeting of the Quartet of the US, EU, Russia and UN representatives.

"We still hold fast to the Quartet principles that we look forward to Hamas renouncing violence and accepting the state of Israel," he said.

But he stressed that he saw tackling the "appalling problems of poverty, unemployment and deprivation" as critical to finding a long-term solution.

"Obviously the security considerations are absolutely crucial," he said. "The need for a political breakthrough is of course essential.

"But you will also need people to have a stake in that peace and that is why the economic road map that underpins the political road map is also going to be important to a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute."

Iraq

On Iraq, Brown said he would welcome the greater contribution of the UN and other countries in helping boost security and reconstruction, and also stressed the need for economic solutions.

"Everybody who has something to offer should be listened to," he said. "Our troops are there at the moment under a UN mandate and the UN is therefore directly involved through that.

"I think myself that the elements that are needed in Iraq are... getting the security right - so we now have 300,000 security forces, that either the army or the police forces that are Iraqi forces themselves and that group of security forces should build up to 500,000 over the next few months, creating a situation where in most of the areas of Iraq, Iraqi people are able to defend the security of their own country.

"It has got to be combined, as I have said to the politicians in Iraq myself, by a willingness to reach out to political reconciliation. So the different groups in Iraq have got to be prepared to work together...

"And then at the same time when you visit Iraq and you see a very high level of unemployment and inactivity, that people have got to have an economic stake in the future."