WASHINGTON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will depart for a visit to Austria and Hungary on June 20, U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley said at a briefing on Thursday.

    "The trip is an opportunity to reaffirm the strong relationship between the United States and the European Union," Hadley said.

    While in Austria, Bush will attend the U.S.-EU Summit that will focus on the areas of promoting freedom and democracy, enhancing security and pursuing greater global prosperity, Hadley said.

    On the security front, Hadley said that "the leaders will set priorities for U.S.-EU counterterrorism cooperation, particularly countering terrorist financing and efforts to prevent terrorist access to weapons of mass destruction."

    Moreover, Bush will discuss with his EU counterparts the way forward on Iran. "The president believes that a united, international front is the best way to encourage Iran verifiably to suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities and return to negotiations," Hadley added.

    The United States has urged Iran to accept a package plan that contains both incentives and disincentives, or the nuclear issue will go to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions on the Islamic country. Enditem