Obama says Iran should take US engagement seriously

Chicago: US presidential candidate Barack Obama said President George W. Bush's decision to send a senior diplomat to nuclear talks with Iran was a substantive move and should be taken seriously by Tehran.

Obama has been highly critical in the past of Bush's policies toward Iran and has promised that if elected he would pursue a policy of greater engagement aimed at persuading Tehran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.

Obama told a news conference in Paris on Friday that Iran should not wait for the next US president to try to reach a deal over its nuclear program.

He also praised Bush's decision to send senior US diplomat William Burns to international talks in Geneva with Iranian officials.

"Bill Burns is a very serious guy. And the Iranians should take that gesture seriously," Obama told Reuters on Saturday as he flew back from a seven-nation tour abroad.