Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said yesterday
that Tehran would offer economic incentives to the European Union in return for
its recognition of Iran's right to enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
"We are ready to offer our market to Europe as an incentive for recognizing
Iran's peaceful nuclear energy," Asefi said on the sidelines of a Majlis
(parliament) open session, adding that Iran's 70-million population would
provide a big market for Europe.
Three major European Union powers -- Britain, France and Germany -- plan to
offer Iran a light-water reactor along with trade and technology benefits to
persuade Tehran to give up uranium enrichment which can be used to fuel nuclear
power plantas well as to make atom bomb.
Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Wednesday that Iran
would reject a deal with the European Union,which plans to offer incentives in
exchange for Iran's halting uranium enrichment.
He accused the EU of taking away Iran's "gold" and giving "nuts and
chocolate" in exchange.
"We don't need incentives. There is no need to give us incentives. Just don't
try to wrong us," he stressed. The spokesman said that Iran was still waiting
for Europe's new proposal on resolving the current nuclear standoff, but claimed
that Iran would not exchange its nuclear rights with the European incentives.
"Iran has received no official offer yet, the proposal is just being talked
about in the press." Asefi said.
"We will not exchange our rights with incentives that the Europeans may
offer. They should first recognize our rights" and we will consider their offer,
he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that Iran was
open to any proposal to resolve the nuclear issue as long as its "legal and
inalienable rights" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) were
recognized.