US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in London Friday that an attack on Iran over its nuclear program is "not on the agenda at this point."   

She was speaking in London on her first overseas trip as US secretary of state following meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw earlier in the day.

"We have many diplomatic tools still at our disposal and we intend to pursue them fully," Rice told a news conference.

Asked if a military attack on Iran was possible, Rice said: "The question is simply not on the agenda at this point."

She said the US and Britain were unified in their view that Iran should not be able to create a nuclear program.

The United States has "no better friend ... no better ally" than Britain, Rice said.

She also warned that Iran must not "use the cover" of civilian nuclear power development "to sustain a program that can lead to a nuclear weapon."

Rice's remarks came amid allegations that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. Recently, Britain, together with France and Germany, has been spearheading efforts to secure a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

Rice's visit to London is part of a week-long tour of Europe and the Middle East, her first overseas trip as the US secretary of state in a bid to repair relations with key American allies after the divisions over Iraq.

Her whistle-stop tour, ahead of US President George W. Bush's visit to Europe later this month, is scheduled to include eight European capitals and the Vatican, with a weekend side trip to seethe Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2005)