President: Iran Ready for Talks, but Not on N. Rights

Meantime, Ahmadinejad, who was speaking to the reporters in a press conference here in Tehran today, reiterated that Iran is open to nuclear cooperation, saying, "We have always been ready for nuclear cooperation but definitely we do not negotiate our inalienable rights."

Elaborating on Iran's nuclear rights, the Iranian president noted, "These rights have been defined in the statute of the IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) and the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), and one of these rights is the right of access to the (nuclear) fuel production cycle."

"Negotiation on the rights enshrined in the law is not possible," Ahmadinejad added.

The president added that cooperation in major global issues would be the agenda of the negotiations.

Tehran has earlier proposed solutions to the global problems in a package of proposals presented to world powers last year. Tehran says that its package of proposals is the basis for the upcoming talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1, and urged the world powers to announce their clear stance on the conditions put forward by Iran for the talks.

In response, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton last month declared the group's readiness for the resumption of negotiations with Iran, and eventually after some correspondence between Jalili and Ashton, the latter announced earlier this month that the upcoming talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) are likely to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 5.

Iran has stressed that the six world powers should take the necessary steps to build Iran's confidence in the upcoming talks, and warned that any western pressure to deprive Iran of its rights will bring negotiations to a stalemate.

Iran has repeatedly renewed its preparedness for holding talks with the G5+1 on different regional and international issues, but asked that the opposite sides should first meet its preconditions.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had earlier this month informed EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton of Iran's readiness for the resumption of talks with the world powers, but meantime stressed that the western states should first provide proper and clear responses to Iran's questions before any new round of talks between the two sides.

Tehran's prerequisites for talks mentioned in the form of three questions in Jalili's letter to Ashton were first declared by Iran's President Ahmadinejad earlier this year.

During an address to a large congregation of the Iranian people in the Northwestern city of Ardebil last month, Ahmadinejad said that his earlier questions of the world powers are still in place and should be answered before any resumption of talks between Iran and the West.

"Of course, we have set conditions for the talks and they (the six major powers) should announce their stance about the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), their goals of negotiation and the atomic bombs of the Zionist regime (of Israel)," Ahmadinejad said.

"They also should declare their compliance with (the rules of) logic and law during the negotiations," the Iranian president added.

"If they keep mum about our questions, in our view this would mean that they do not abide by the IAEA regulations, recognize and accept possession of atomic bombs by the Zionist regime, do not comply with the law in negotiations and are not after friendship with the Iranian nation."

The president stressed that the Iranian nation would never yield to the pressures imposed by the West.