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Iran says 'ready to discuss incentives but wants to be heard'

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Iran is ready to discuss new incentives to halt its controversial nuclear program but only if the West reviews Tehran's proposals to solve global problems, a foreign ministry spokesman said Monday.
TEHRAN, June 23 (RIA Novosti) -- Iran is ready to discuss new incentives to halt its controversial nuclear program but only if the West reviews Tehran's proposals to solve global problems, a foreign ministry spokesman said Monday.

"Iran is ready to conduct talks with the opposing side regarding common points contained in the initiatives proposed by the Iran-six and Tehran," Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.

Tehran submitted in May to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana a package of proposals on nuclear non-proliferation and other international security issues, including on how to solve the ongoing international controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.

Solana passed a new package of incentives on June 14 to the Islamic Republic to try and persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program that could be used in nuclear weapons production.

The new deal recognizes Iran's right to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and offers support for the construction of light water reactors, help with supplying nuclear fuel, and a renewal of economic ties with the West.

But the six world powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - have demanded that Iran impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment prior to the talks on the issue.

Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that Tehran would not accept any new incentives, if they contained demands for a suspension of uranium enrichment.

"They should not put forward any demands that lead to the violation of the right of the Iranian people [for peaceful nuclear research]," reiterated Ali Hosseini.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions for defying demands to halt uranium enrichment, which it says it needs purely for electricity generation despite Western accusations that the program is geared toward weapon production.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, has been investigating Iran's nuclear activity for more than five years but so far has been unable to determine whether its nuclear program has military ramifications.

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