In a reaction to a nuclear incentive package to Tehran by major world
powers on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday vowed to
protect his country's nuclear rights, saying Western powers cannot deprive Iran
from the rights.
Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that
"pressure of some Western countries to force Iran to abandon its right (to
nuclear technology) will not get a result."
Iran will not abandon its right to peaceful nuclear energy under despite
Western pressure, vowed the Iranian president.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany made an
offer to Iran in Vienna on Thursday, aimed at persuading Iran to meet the
international demands to halt its uranium enrichment.
The two-part package contains both incentives to encourage Iran to cooperate,
and the warning of punishment by the UN Security Council if Tehran does not
comply. But no details about the incentives have been unveiled.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that
Washington would join European countries in talks with Iran if Tehran suspends
enrichment.
In response to Rice's remarks, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
welcomed possible direct talks with Washington but rejected a U.S.demand that
Tehran must suspend uranium enrichment as precondition.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi later refused any
precondition for talks with the United States over its controversial nuclear
issue.
"We believe that under current circumstances, negotiations without any
precondition would be best solution to put an end to Tehran-Washington logjam,"
IRNA quoted Asefi as saying.
Iran has repeatedly said that it will not give up its right under the NPT to
enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel for power plant.