Iran to consider nuclear incentives
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Tehran will consider a package of incentives agreed by six world powers this week in a bid to persuade the Islamic republic to abandon its controversial nuclear programme.
But the hard line president insisted that Iran would not abandon its right to produce nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes.
Iran claims that its uranium enrichment programme, resumed in 2005 following the election of ultra-conservative Mr Ahmadinejad, is designed purely for civilian energy production.
But Western powers claim that the Islamic republic could use the technology as the basis for developing nuclear weapons.
The five-permanent members of the United Nations’ security council – the US, UK, France, Russia and China – joined Germany on Thursday in stating that the international community was prepared to resume negotiations with Iran and avoid action against the country, in return for Tehran’s suspension of its uranium enrichment activities.
A package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to halt its nuclear programme is due to be hand-delivered to Tehran by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana later this week following the Vienna meeting between Western diplomats.
Addressing a crowd yesterday at the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, father of the Iranian Islamic revolution, Iran’s president said: “We will not pass judgment on the proposals hastily.”
“But using nuclear technology for production of nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes is part of our legal and certain rights and we will never negotiate on that with anybody,” Mr Ahmadinejad added.
He said UN secretary general Kofi Annan had telephoned him to ask that Tehran study the international community’s proposals for a compromise solution to the current nuclear standoff before making a decision on them.
Details of the package of incentives offered to Iran are expected to be made public by Mr Solana on Thursday.
