MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he hoped Tehran would accept the package of incentives put forward by the six nations working on the Iranian nuclear problem to defuse the crisis.

"We would like our Iranian partners to accept the proposals, which were worked out as a basis for dialogue," Putin told a civil G8 forum.

Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said the Islamic Republic's nuclear problem would be a key theme for discussion when the leaders of the industrialized nations met in St. Petersburg but not the dominant issue at the July 15-17 G8 summit.

"Although we cannot avoid the topic, I do not think that the presidents and premiers will focus on Iran," Prikhodko told a new conference.

The five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany drafted a package of incentives to persuade Iran to suspend work on enriching uranium, which could be used in both electricity generation and weapons production. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented the offer to Tehran during a visit to Iran June 6.

Iran said it would respond to the incentives in August, but the United States, for one, has said it wants to hear an answer by July 12.