TEHRAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran will offer an initiative onthe current nuclear standoff with Europe.

    "The Supreme National Security Council will offer an initiative on the (nuclear) fuel cycle standoff and will make it known to the public," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official IRNA news agency astelling a parliament session.

    Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iranian nuclear program is transparent and has been designed within the framework of international conventions.

    "Iran seeks its rights stipulated by the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Ahmadinejad said.

    The president's announcement echoed what he told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Aug. 9.

    "We are ready to proceed with (the nuclear) talks. Of course, I will put forward initiatives in this respect after forming my cabinet," he said in a telephone conversation in reaction to Annan's appeal that Iran return to the negotiating table with Europe.

    However, the president has not revealed anything on the so-called "new initiative" to resolve the nuclear dispute.

    Iran resumed uranium conversion activities on Aug. 8, a move escalating the nuclear standoff and drawing stern warnings from theEuropean Union (EU).

    The EU and the International Atomic Energy Agency have both urged Iran to stop the resumed activities.

    Top Iranian officials have insisted that Tehran is ready to continue nuclear negotiations with the EU but will never suspend the uranium conversion work again, saying the future talks should be focused on the restarting of more advanced nuclear activities.

    Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said on Aug. 20 thatIran was ready to negotiate with the Europeans over the resumption of the uranium enrichment, a key step to the construction of nuclear reactors.

    On Wednesday, Asefi said the EU is to blame for Iran's resumption of uranium conversion for it had breached the agreement reached by the two sides in October 2004 in Paris.

    The spokesman was referring to a EU nuclear proposal submitted on Aug. 5, which Tehran formally rejected on Aug. 8, saying it failed to secure Iran's legitimate rights promised in the Paris Agreement.

    Under the Paris Agreement, Iran suspended all enrichment-relatedactivities in November 2004.

    However, Tehran repeatedly rejected the EU demand that it shouldpermanently halt its uranium enrichment activities as the objectiveguarantees that its nuclear research would not be used for militarypurpose, bringing the negotiations to a deadlock.

    The United States has accused Iran of developing nuclear weaponsunder the disguise of civil usage, a charge rejected by Tehran. Enditem