Iran to declare conditions for nuclear talks next week

TEHRAN (AFP) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran will next week lay down its conditions for talks with the world powers after they imposed new UN sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will next week announce its conditions for negotiations with countries who issued the sanctions resolution against Iran," the state television website quoted Ahmadinejad as telling a group of clerics.

On June 9, the UN Security Council imposed a fourth set of sanctions against Iran for refusing to abandon its controversial programme of uranium enrichment. Western powers fear Iran has a covert nuclear weapons programme since enriched uranium can be used both to make fuel to power nuclear reactors as well as in manufacturing the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

Tehran insists that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful.

Soon after the sanctions resolution was passed, the world powers and the European Union called for talks with Tehran to resolve the issue, indicating a dual-track policy of both sanctions and dialogue.

Ahmadinejad said the offer of talks showed that the world powers "themselves are more afraid because soon after the resolution they said they want talks with Iran.

"Those countries that are threatening the Iranian nation are afraid, but Iran will neutralise their threats."

The hardline Ahmadinejad's remarks suggest that Iran's conditions for fresh talks are likely to be tough.

"They issued the resolution and then said 'come and talk.' Very well. We will negotiate, but in such a way that they will regret it and not commit such a damn thing" again, the Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.

The announcement of the UN sanctions was followed by unilateral punitive measures from the United States and the European Union.