Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday urged Iran to accept the international proposals to shape the future its nuclear programme, but said he did not expect Tehran's answer before the G8 summit later this month.

"We would like very much the Iranian partners to accept the proposals of the six nations, and we would like to start dialogue on these proposals as soon as possible so that this would take place before the St. Petersburg summit," Putin was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

The issue of Iran's nuclear activities will be one of the chief topics at the Group of Eight summit, which is scheduled to take place in St Petersburg on July 15-17.

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany, offered Iran in mid-June a package of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt nuclear enrichment.

But Iran, which has repeatedly said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, has snubbed calls for a speedy response to the proposals, insisting on giving a reply in August.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is scheduled to meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Wednesday.