TEHRAN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said on Tuesday that a package of proposals offered by six world powers aimed to defuse the standoff over Iran's nuclear issue was a good start point for negotiations.

    "We still believe that the proposed package is a good start point for negotiations on the nuclear issue," Elham was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying at a weekly news conference.

    "We are optimistic and believe that the issue can be resolved," he added.

    The spokesman reiterated Tehran's stance that Iran wanted to resolve the current standoff through diplomacy, talks and cooperation, saying "the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for continuation of cooperation within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and international rules and regulations."

    Meanwhile, Elham stressed that Iran was not trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

    "Iran pursues peaceful policies. Our political and military doctrine is transparent in this regard. We are not after nuclear weapons and do not need them," he said.

    "We do not accept these kind of weapons by any country and believe in international disarmament," he added.

    In addition, Elham stressed that Iran respected international laws, saying that Tehran "never intended to move in a way contrary to accepted international regulations or even beyond them."

    On June 6, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented Iran with a package agreed on by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany concerning the Iranian nuclear issue.

    The proposal includes both incentives aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and possible sanctions if Iran doesnot comply.

    Western countries have been pressing Tehran to respond to the six-nation package before Saturday, but Iran has rejected it. The six countries agreed on Wednesday to return Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

    The move has drawn a strong reaction from the Iranian government. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Thursday that Iran would revise cooperation with the IAEA and may quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if the West was not sincere on the nuclear issue. Enditem