Head of Iran's state radio Hassan Khojasteh said yesterday that his station was ready to arrange a live broadcasting debate between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his US counterpart George W. Bush, local Fars News Agency reported.

"Our media is fully prepared to arrange a debate between the Iranian and U.S. presidents so as to provide its audience with two completely contradictory and determining thoughts," Khojasteh was quoted as saying.

The state radio chief made the remarks when Ahmadinejad made a visit Monday to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), an official organization in control of Iran's state radio and television networks.

Khojasteh stressed that such a debate would not be a radio program with transient importance, "rather it would be a debate with historical significance."

"No doubt all the world people and thinkers are awaiting such a debate since the world public opinion is keen to judge on these two different schools of thought," Khojasteh asserted.

In late August, Ahmadinejad proposed having a live television debate with his U.S. counterpart on "world issues". But the White House has dismissed the offer as merely a diversion from Iran's nuclear issue.