Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany was prepared to press for further sanctions against Iran unless the Islamic Republic abandoned its nuclear program.

``Germany wants diplomatic solutions'' in the dispute with Iran, ``but for that, it's necessary that we're ready to demand further sanctions if the behavior doesn't change,'' Merkel told reporters in New York today, where she is due to address the United Nations General Assembly. ``Israel's security isn't negotiable,'' she added.

Merkel said she'll tell the assembly that Iran's ``possession of a nuclear bomb would have devastating consequences for Israel's existence, for the entire region and for us all in Europe and around the world.'' She later said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ``inhumane'' comments on Israel were ``unacceptable'' and couldn't be condemned strongly enough.

Merkel's remarks underscore Germany's hardening stance toward Iran. Senior members of both main parties in Merkel's coalition government said last week that unilateral sanctions by the European Union beyond those already agreed on by the UN may be necessary.

``It now seems legitimate to consider raising the stakes,'' Ruprecht Polenz, head of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee, said in an interview on Sept. 21.

The U.S. is trying to rally support in the UN Security Council for a third round of sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment program, though permanent council members China and Russia say they want to give more time to talks. The U.S. says Iran's program is a cover for the development of an atomic bomb. Iran denies the charge, saying it is intended for electricity generation.

`Convince the World'

``The international community mustn't allow itself to be divided,'' Merkel said. ``It's not the world that has to prove that Iran is building the bomb. Iran has to convince the world that it's not striving for the bomb.''

Receiving the Appeal of Conscience Foundation's 2007 World Statesman Award from the organization's president and founder, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Merkel pledged vigilance ``against any sign of anti-Semitism in Germany and Europe.''

``Anti-Semitism is in stark contrast to all values that are important to me personally, to which my country is bound and on which we've built the united Europe,'' Merkel said in her speech. ``We have to react to anti-Semitism with the necessary force.''

Merkel also reiterated Germany's position that the Security Council -- whose permanent members are the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K. -- must be ``reformed'' as part of an overhaul of the United Nations.

She said she'll tell the assembly that Germany is ready to ``accept more responsibility and therefore strives for a seat on the Security Council.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 25, 2007 14:09 EDT