Jan. 30 - President George W. Bush says the United States would not support a Palestinian government that included Hamas unless the militant group recognized Israel's right to exist.
Bush also urged the Islamist group, which won last week's Palestinian election, to deliver its campaign promises.
"Our message to Hamas is get rid of your arms, disavow terrorism, work to bring what you promised to the people of the Palestinian territories," he told reporters after a meeting with his Cabinet.
"These folks ran on the campaign 'we're going to get rid of corruption' and that 'we're going to provide services to the people' and that's positive," Bush said.
But he stood firm on his refusal to deal with Hamas, which has launched suicide attacks against Israel and whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
"The Hamas party has made it clear that they do not support the right of Israel to exist and I have made it clear so long as that's their policy that we will not support a Palestinian government made up of Hamas," he said.
Members of the Middle East peace-broking Quartet -- the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia -- were to meet in London later on Monday to discuss whether isolating Hamas politically and financially is the best policy.
Hamas had not been expected to win. Its victory could kill hopes of reviving peace talks with Israel soon and stop Bush from achieving his goal of brokering a settlement that creates two states within the next few years.
On the issue of Iran, Bush said the West was "united in our goal to keep the Iranians from having a weapon, and we're working on the tactics necessary to continue putting a united front out."
Iran insisted on Sunday the only solution to its nuclear dispute with the West was negotiation rather than referral of its atomic dossier to the United Nations Security Council.
Iran, which the United States and other major Western powers suspect is trying to make a nuclear bomb, urged more diplomacy before talks on the issue among the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany in London on Monday.
On the same day, Iran will meet diplomats from Britain, France and Germany -- three European Union powers that have negotiated with Tehran over its nuclear programme -- in Brussels, a Tehran foreign ministry spokesman said.
Bush said on Monday "we're going to continue to work with our friends and allies to present a united front to the Iranians. And the message is: Give up your nuclear weapons ambitions."
Iran, which says its nuclear programme is to make electricity not a bomb, has responded positively to a Russian compromise proposal, also backed by the United States, for uranium to be enriched in Russia instead of Iran.