TEHRAN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran said on Tuesday that
a new proposal agreed by six world powers over its disputed nuclear issue
contained both "positive" elements and some "ambiguities."
The proposal drafted by the European Union (EU) was formally presented to Iran on Tuesday by EU foreign policy
chief Javier Solana during a meeting with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali
Larijani held in the building of the Supreme National Security Council in
central Tehran.
"We had more than two hours of talks and the talks
were good. We will study these proposals and then give a formal response,"
Larijani told reporters after the meeting.
"We can see there are some positive steps in the new
proposal, but it also contains some ambiguities," said Larijani, without
indicating what parts of the proposals are "ambiguous." "We welcome the European
Union to resolve the issue through dialogue and the two sides should have more
negotiations again after our careful study of the proposals," added the top
nuclear negotiator.
Meanwhile, Solana held a separate meeting with
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Tuesday.
After the talks, Mottaki was quoted by the official
IRNA newsagency as saying that Iran would "brief friends of its views on
Europe's latest proposal to resolve the nuclear issue after careful studies."
Solana, on his part, termed his one-hour discussion
with Mottaki as "good" and praised the current atmosphere of talks, adding "Now
that the proposal is on the table, I hope we can receive a positive response
which can satisfy both sides."
Solana arrived in Tehran late on Monday with a new
package agreed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council-- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China-- plus Germany
last Thursday.
The new six-nation package contains economic and
political incentives, including talks with the United States, the West's help to
build nuclear reactors for Iran, a guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel and
permission for Iran to buy aircraft and spare parts if Tehran suspends uranium
enrichment.
The package also includes an implicit threat of UN
sanctions if Iran doesn't comply.
Details of the proposals have not been made public
yet. Upon his arrival at the Iranian airport on Monday, Solana told reporters
that the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany wanted to
start a fresh relationship with Iran on the basis of mutual respect and
trust.
"The new proposal could let us be engaged in
negotiations based on trust, confidence and respect," said Solana.
However, Iran has repeatedly claimed that it would
never halt uranium enrichment activities under pressure or threat.
Last weekend, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
reasserted during a telephone conversation with United Nations Secretary General
Kofi Annan that Iran was ready to hold talks on its nuclear program and that
Tehran preferred negotiations to be held democratically without any precondition
or any threat.
Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei asserted on Sunday that Tehran must not give up its "scientific goals"
in the face of "threats and bribes", warning that if the United States made a
"wrong step" over Iran, oil flow in the region would be affected.
The U.S., which severed diplomatic relations with
Tehran in 1980, claims that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a
cover to produce nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Iran says that its nuclear program is merely to
generate electricity, not bombs and that Iran will not give up its legal right
to peaceful nuclear technology under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to
which Tehran is a signatory. Enditem