Ahmadinejad said yesterday that Iran was ready to talk with the international community over its disputed nuclear issue. -Xinhua/Reuters

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that Iran was ready to talk about mutual concerns with the international community in a bid to end "misunderstandings" over its disputed nuclear issue.

"Iran will talk about mutual concerns and the ways to resolve misunderstandings in the international arena, but we will never negotiate on our legal rights," said Ahmadinejad in a speech to a large crowd in Qazvin province west of Tehran, which was aired by state television.

"Any negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue must take place in a fair atmosphere," he said, adding "If the international community thinks it can use a stick to threat the Iranian nation and negotiate at the same time, it should understand that the Iranian people will never accept this."

Ahmadinejad made the statement as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented Tehran on Tuesday with a new package of incentives and penalties aimed to solve the current standoff over Iran's nuclear program.

The five permanent members-- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China-- plus Germany have agreed on the package which offers Iran incentives including direct U.S. talks if Tehran halts uranium enrichment activities.