The United States and Austria on Thursday rejected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks about a doubtful Holocaust and suggestions that Israel be moved to Europe.

"These latest remarks ... are clearly appalling and reprehensible. They certainly don't inspire hope among any of us in the international community that the government of Iran is prepared to engage as a responsible member of that community," deputy spokesman the US State Department Adam Ereli said.

Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying: "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces ... Although we don't accept this claim."

"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe ... to the Zionists, and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe," Ahmadinejad said.

Visiting Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, speaking to reporters after meeting with US President George W. Bush at the White House, also called Ahmadinejad's remarks "an outrageous gaffe, which I want to repudiate in the sharpest manner."

The chancellor also said that the resettlement of Jews was "no solution" to the Middle East conflict.

The United States accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons while Iran insists it wants a nuclear program only to run atomic power stations.

Source: Xinhua