Rumsfeld: Iran 'leading state sponsor of terrorism'

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today urged the world to work for a "diplomatic solution" to halt the nuclear program of Iran, a nation he called the "leading state sponsor of terrorism".

According to prepared remarks for delivery at an international defence conference, Rumsfeld said the US stands "with the Iranian people, who want a peaceful, democratic future".

"The Iranian regime is today the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism," he said. "The world does not want, and must work together to prevent, a nuclear Iran."

Rumsfeld painted a stark picture of a lengthy war against terrorism that lies ahead, appealing to allies to show unity and increase military spending to defeat the threat of a "global extremist Islamic empire".

Rumsfeld said terrorists hope to use Iraq as the "central front" in their war, turning it into a training and recruitment area like they had done in Afghanistan under the Taliban. He warned "a war has been declared on all of our nations" and said their "futures depend on determination and unity in the face of the terrorist threat".

"We could choose to pretend, as some suggest, that the enemy is not at our doorstep. We could choose to believe, as some contend, that the threat is exaggerated.

"But those who would follow such a course must ask: What if they are wrong? What if at this moment, the enemy is counting on being underestimated, counting on being dismissed, and counting on our preoccupation?"

Rumsfeld was to follow German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the opening speeches on the second day of 42nd annual Munich security conference, a prestigious gathering in southern Germany, which defence experts and policy-makers traditionally use for frank exchanges.

The conference is focused on the trans-Atlantic relationship between the US and Europe.

Rumsfeld said violent extremism is a danger faced as much in Europe as in the US.

"The struggle ahead promises to be a long war that will cause us all to recalibrate our strategies, perhaps further adjust our institutions, and certainly work closely together," he said.

He said Islamic militants are on the move and have to be checked.

"They seek to take over governments from North Africa to Southeast Asia and to re-establish a caliphate they hope, one day, will include every continent," he said. "They have designed and distributed a map where national borders are erased and replaced by a global extremist Islamic empire."

But he added a note of hope. Likening the war on terror to the Cold War, Rumsfeld said the battle could be won if nations persevered. He invoked Merkel's own experience -- growing up in Communist East Germany to become chancellor of a unified Germany.

"Freedom prevailed because our free nations showed resolve when retreat would have been easier, and showed courage when concession seemed simpler," he said.

But, he pointed out that the US spends 3.7% of its Gross Domestic Product on national defence while 19 of the 25 other NATO nations spend less than 2% of their GDP on defence.

He did not name countries, but Germany, which spends 1.4% of its GDP on defence, and others have been under pressure to step up their funding.

"It may be easier for all of us to use our scarce tax dollars to meet urgent needs we all have at home," Rumsfeld said. "But unless we invest in our defence and security, our homelands will be at risk."