Iran must respond by Aug, N Korea stop missile test
Bush also told a press conference after an EU-US summit in Vienna that he would like to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for terror suspects but a way must first be found to send inmates home or put them on trial.
Amid tight security for Bush's visit, some 1,200 students demonstrated in the north of Vienna, far from the baroque Hofburg palace where the summit was being held, chanting "Bush go home!" and "Mass murderer".
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. But Bush said "it was absurd for people to think that we're more dangerous than Iran.
"We're a transparent democracy, people know exactly what's on our mind, we debate things in the open, we have a legislative process that's active."
Bush said Iran should not need until late August 22 -- as suggested earlier Wednesday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- to respond to the offer by the world's major power of a deal designed to secure guarantees that Tehran is not seeking to make nuclear weapons.
"It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable proposal," the US leader said. "It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a reasonable deal."
The offer by the UN Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany was delivered to Tehran by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on June 6.
Ahmadinehad promised Wednesday to study it and give a response "at the end of the Mordad," referring to the Iranian month that ends on August 22.
Bush said Iran had "weeks not months" to answer, while diplomats say Tehran was asked to reply by June 29 when Solana delivered the proposals.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, speaking as the current European Union president, said: "We agree ... time is limited. We should not play with time."
"We'll come to the table when they verifiably suspend," Bush added.
The president urged North Korea not to go ahead with a planned missile test that has sharply spiked international tensions.
His comments, urging Pyongyang to honor past international agreements, came as the reclusive Stalinist state offered the United States talks on its launch plans in an indication that it might put off the flight test.
"The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past and we expect them to keep their agreements, for instance on test launches," Bush said.
"This is not the way to do business in the world," he added, saying missile tests by North Korea make people "nervous."
He said the issue must be dealt with in six-party talks on North Korea and he was "pleased" the Chinese government was speaking out against any test.
He called it a "positive sign," adding that North Korea must realize there were "certain international norms" to live by.
The Stalinist regime test-fired a missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean in 1998, and reports that it was preparing another test have drawn warnings of a tough response from Japan and the United States.
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