European leaders formed a united front with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, emphasizing their common position on Iran's nuclear ambitions and pressing Syria to withdraw from Lebanon

European leaders formed a united front with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, emphasizing their common position on Iran's nuclear ambitions and pressing Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. At a joint news conference, Putin and the leaders of France, Russia and German said there was no contradiction between Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran and Europe's efforts to ensure that Tehran is not building nuclear weapons. "We all have an interest in Iran not having nuclear weapons. They must not produce them. They must not possess them. But no one can deny a country the right to have nuclear energy for civilian and peaceful ends," said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, speaking through a translator. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that although his country is aiding Iran's civilian nuclear program, Tehran also must prove that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons. "Iran must prove that it refuses totally the acquisition of a nuclear weapon. No other limit exists," said the Russian leader, also speaking through a translator. The United States is worried that Russia's construction of a reactor in the Iranian city of Bushehr could help Tehran develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies it is seeking the bomb. But U.S. officials say Russia increasingly has shared their concerns about Iran's nuclear program and have praised Moscow for demanding a deal — signed last month — that obliges Iran to return spent nuclear fuel from Bushehr. The accord is designed to prevent any possibility that Tehran will extract plutonium from the spent fuel and use it to make nuclear weapons.