'Iran ready to talk... but not on nuclear issues'

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that Iran was ready to talk with world powers on global issues but will not negotiate over Tehran's right to nuclear technology.

"We are ready to talk about international cooperation and resolving global economic and security problems as we believe that such issues cannot be resolved without everyone's participation," Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted by Fars news agency as telling the new British ambassador to Tehran, Simon Gass.

But Mr Ahmadinejad, who is to attend the UN General Assembly meeting later this month in New York, ruled out any talks on Iran's controversial nuclear programme. He also did not directly respond to the call by world powers for urgent talks with Tehran.

"Having peaceful nuclear technology is Iran's lawful and definite right and Iranians will not negotiate with anyone over their undeniable rights," the hardliner told Mr Gass as the British envoy presented his credentials.

Iran on Wednesday handed over to the six world powers - the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - its latest package of proposals aimed at allaying Western concerns over its nuclear programme.

The official Irna news agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying that Ankara was prepared to host talks between Iran and the six over the proposals, but his spokesman later denied this.

"Turkey is ready to do what it can to help overcome differences between the parties and reach an agreement as soon as possible," Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said.

He stressed that Turkey does not want to undermine ongoing efforts to reach a deal and therefore does not envisage hosting talks.

A US non-profit investigative journalism group, Pro Publica, has said it obtained a copy of proposals in which Tehran said it was prepared to hold "comprehensive, all-encompassing and constructive negotiations".

The talks would address nuclear disarmament as well as a global framework for the use of "clean nuclear energy", according to the document published on Pro Publica's website, but it did not address Iran's own nuclear programme.

US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley told reporters in Washington that Tehran's package was "not really responsive to our greatest concern" which was Iran's uranium enrichment programme, the process which produces nuclear fuel or, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

"We will seek an early meeting, and we will seek to test Iran's willingness to engage," Mr Crowley said in Washington.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was in contact with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in a bid to arrange a meeting at the "earliest possible opportunity".

Mr Ahmadinejad yesterday gave no direct response to the call for urgent talks and reiterated that for Tehran "the nuclear issue is over".

World powers have given a late September deadline to Tehran for starting talks with them and have threatened to impose sanctions on the Islamic republic if it fails to discuss the sensitive issue with them.

The UN Security Council has already adopted three sets of sanctions against Iran over its failure to heed the repeated ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment.

Analysts say that Iran's offer of talks amounts to an opening bid to engage world powers in negotiations even if it fails to respond to their concerns about its nuclear programme.

Jacqueline Shire, an analyst at the Institute for Science and International Security, said Iran clearly demonstrates it is "not ignoring" the six powers by responding to their offer for talks with a proposal.

Washington-based National Iranian American Council president Trita Parsi welcomed the proposal.