Iran yesterday called on the Europeans and the United States to be more patient on its formal response to the six-nation package aimed at resolving the nuclear dispute.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi made the call at his weekly press conference.

"The proposals contain legal, political and economic contents, all of them must be carefully examined, and we hope the Europeans understand that they can not sacrifice the accuracy for the sake of speed," Asefi told the reporters.

"We have to hold elevated discussions on the package, that's why we can not give a speedy response," he added.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last Wednesday that his country would formally respond in mid-Augest to the international package.

"We are examining the proposals and hopefully we will give them our opinion in mid-Augest," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to a large crowd in Iran's western city of Hamedan.

But Western leaders have said Iran wouldn't need such a long time to respond to the "reasonable deal", urging the country to accept the proposals in a few weeks.

Asefi, meanwhile, reiterated on Sunday that Iran would not halt uranium enrichment activities as a precondition for nuclear talks with West.

"The Europeans should talk to us without any preconditions, preconditions could only destroy the negotiating atmosphere" and "Iran would not accept this," said Asefi.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on June 6 presented to Iran a new package over Iran's nuclear issue, which had been agreed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany in a meeting in Vienna.

The proposal includes both incentives aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and possible sanctions if Iran chooses not to comply.

Western countries have repeatedly asked Iran to accept the proposals and give a formal respond to the international community before the end of June.

U.S. President George W. Bush has warned Tehran must accept the package or it would face crucial sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.

The United States has accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under a civilian front, a charge categorically denied by Tehran.