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UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with US President George W. Bush on Monday and warned against any action that might escalate the dispute over Iran's nuclear programs.

"We need to be able to work to resolve it, and I hope there will be no steps taken to escalate the situation," Annan told reporters after talks with Bush at the White House.

Annan expressed the hope that Iran would take steps before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets in Vienna next month to decide whether to recommend UN Security Council action.

Iran should "indicate that negotiations are not dead and both sides can come back to the table and find a way out of this crisis," the UN chief said.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is designed solely to generate electricity, but the United States and some US allies claim the program is a cover for producing an atomic bomb.

Hamas told to renounce violence, recognize Israel

The UN secretary general has urged the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to renounce violence and become a political party that works with Israel.

"I think there is an opportunity here for Hamas to transform itself into a political party and work with the international community and the Israeli government," Annan told reporters on Monday.

The quartet of major powers trying to broker Middle East peace -- the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union -- has said that Hamas must reject violence and recognize Israel or risk losing the vital aid.

The Quartet also demands Hamas respect existing agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
 
Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Washington, won a crushing victory over the long-dominant Fatah group in an election on Jan. 25.

Darfur issue

The United Nations and the United States have agreed to work with the international community to safeguard security in Sudan's Darfur region, Annan said.

"I'm very happy that we have agreed to work together on the Darfur issue, working with other governments from Europe and Asia and other regions to ensure that we do have an effective security presence on the ground," Annan told reporters after meeting with Bush.

"Once we've defined the requirements, then we approach the governments to see specifically what each of them will do in terms of troops, in terms of equipment," Annan said.

The UN chief said last week that he would ask Bush for the United States to play a major role in a peacekeeping force in Darfur.

The UN Security Council authorized in early February a plan for replacing the African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces in Darfur with the UN forces, which was agreed in principle by the AU but strongly opposed by Sudan.

The African Union has said it can no longer sustain a 7,000-strong peacekeeping forces in Darfur due to shortage of fund, staff and equipment.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2006)