Iran ready for new nuke talks: TV

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(Agencies/Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-01 20:47

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to lawmakers at the Iranian parliament in Tehran August 30, 2009. [Agencies]

TEHRAN: Iran has prepared an updated nuclear proposal and is ready to hold negotiations with world powers, Iranian television quoted the Islamic Republic's chief nuclear negotiator as saying on Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama has given Iran until later this month to take up a six powers' offer of talks on trade benefits if it shelves nuclear enrichment or face harsher sanctions.

Iran has repeatedly rejected demands to halt work which it says is for peaceful power generation but which the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.

"Iran has prepared an updated nuclear proposal and is ready to resume negotiations with world powers," chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili was quoted as saying by al-Alam, Iran's Arabic-language satellite television channel.

Press TV, Iran's English-language state television, said in a scrolling headline, without giving further detail, "Iran ready to offer new nuclear package".

Germany said on Monday it will host high-level talks this week with the United States, China, France, Britain and Russia on Iran's disputed nuclear programme.

China's Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei will attend Wednesday's meeting in Frankfurt, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

"China would like to make efforts with other parties to push for resumption of dialogue and negotiations at an early date for a comprehensive, durable and proper solution to the Iran nuclear issue," Jiang said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in April that Iran had prepared its own proposals to end the long-running stalemate over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Iran has previously said it is ready for "constructive" talks but has dismissed demands to halt or freeze uranium enrichment, which can have both civilian and military purposes.

It was unclear whether Iran's counter-offer in the nuclear dispute would be essentially different from previous ill-fated exchanges.

The six powers originally offered Iran economic and political incentives in 2006 in exchange for the suspension of enrichment. Iran's response hinted at some flexibility but ruled out suspension as a precondition for talks.

In June last year the six improved the offer but retained the precondition. In reply, Iran said it wanted to negotiate a broader peace and security deal and rejected any "condescending" formula to shelve its nuclear programme.