Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of death of Iran's late Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran yesterday.(Xinhua/Reuters)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Tehran will decide, on the basis of its national interests, on the proposals to be delivered by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana over Iran's nuclear issue, the official IRNA news agency reported today.

"Iran is ready to hold fair and unconditional talks with the West on Iran's nuclear issue. Negotiations should not have preconditions," said the president.

Ahmadinejad underlined, "We will wait after they have put forth their proposals and after we have heard them, then, we will decide based on our national interests."

The president made the remarks on Saturday at a ceremony commemorating Iran's late leader and founder of the Islamic republic Ayatohlah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Meanwhile, the president stressed that Iran would reject any compromise on its absolute rights to uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes.

"We also regard the peaceful use of nuclear energy as our legitimate right and will not negotiate on our rights with anybody," the president added.

Foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council--the U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China--plus Germany agreed Thursday upon a European offer of incentives if Iran halts uranium enrichment and punishments if Tehran does not comply to solve the current standoff over Iran's nuclear program.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Solana would arrive in Tehran within the next two days to present Europe's new proposal to resolve the nuclear standoff. "Iran will review the new proposal at an appropriate time and announce its stance," Mottaki added.

He expressed hope that the offer would pave the way for a comprehensive discussion of the country's nuclear case.