The 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy wrapped up Sunday after over 300 defense ministers and other senior government officials discussed for three days a wide range of security issues.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons, saying Iran's nuclear program raised "legitimate suspicions" of being for military use and "overstepped a red line".

"Diplomatic avenues need to be exhausted. We need to keep our nerves, go step by step," she said.

US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called for diplomatic means to prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program.

"The world does not want -- and must work together to prevent -- a nuclear Iran," Rumsfeld said at the annual conference.

"We must continue to work together to seek a diplomatic solution to stopping the development of its uranium enrichment program," he added.

But he made a verbal attack on Iran's government, saying: "The Iranian regime is today the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

He also urged the US allies to invest more in NATO so as to fight terrorism.

One of the tasks facing the West, Rumsfeld said, is "to continue to transform NATO for the 21st century, invest in the NATO Response Force, broader common funding, and encourage NATO to develop an expeditionary culture and capability."

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged to transform NATO and establish closer links with nations beyond Europe.

He described the links with NATO's partner countries -- from Austria to Finland and from Armenia to Kazakhstan -- as "a true asset".

"We need to ensure that we have the closest possible partnership with those countries that can, and are willing to, help defend our shared values," he added.

He said that the 26-member military bloc is not a global policeman, but "we have increasingly global partnerships."

NATO would build closer ties with nations such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, he said.

He urged that NATO should strengthen ties with the European Union, saying "deeper transatlantic dialogue within NATO isn't enough".

"We also have to build a pragmatic, strategic partnership with the EU," he said.

He urged for political, military and financial solidarity, as "solidarity is the key" in taking up the different challenges in this new world.

Iranian representative, Abbas Araghchi, warned that referral of Iran to the UN Security Council would lead to escalation of nuclear crisis.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, noted the referral would "loosen our hands and lead to escalation which no one needs".

He explained nuclear facilities in Iran opened to international inspectors and every step of nuclear program of his country is clear.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov Sunday called for the establishment of a joint front for combating international terrorism.

Ivanov said such a front "can be effective under aegis of the United Nations only".

There were grounds to expect a high "wave" of terrorism and new large-scale terrorist attacks.

Offering three proposals, Ivanov said the first was liquidation of possible loopholes in the international law and domestic legislation, which allow terrorists and their allies to elude the responsibility.

The second was overcoming of double standards in evaluating terrorist threat and in respect of terrorists themselves, urging for a common definition of "terrorism".

On the last day of the meeting, Zhang Zhijun, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, elaborated on the objectives of China's security policy, saying they are designed to safeguard sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

He said, aside from maintaining its own stability and development, maintaining peace and stability in the neighboring areas and promoting international security dialogue and cooperation were also the objectives of the Chinese security policy.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2006)