TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Tuesday rejected UN
nuclear chief's proposal for direct talks with the United States over Tehran's
nuclear issue, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, deputy head of Iran's
Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks in an exclusive interview
with IRNA.
"Minor talks can, however, be held within the G5+1
framework with the United States as a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC)
so as to solve the nuclear issue speedily," Fazli said.
About the G5+1 framework, he refers to the five
permanent members of the UNSC -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S.--
plus Germany.
Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has suggested that Tehran and
Washington hold direct talks on the nuclear crisis.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali
Hosseini said last month that Iran was prepared to consider the UN nuclear
watchdog's proposal to hold direct talks with the U.S. on its controversial
uranium enrichment program.
While voicing Tehran's rejection to the proposed
direct talks with Washington, Fazli also rejected the West's suggestions on
Iran's nuclear issue, saying "Tehran does not accept any idea calling for
suspension of uranium enrichment."
"We have announced clearly that we will never accept
suspension meaning temporary halt to our nuclear activities," he said. "Andwe
will never back down from our position in that respect."
Fazli, however, expressed that while continuing its
legal nuclear activities, Iran maintains its full cooperation with the IAEA.
"As an NPT (the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)
signatory and IAEA member, we have had any kind of cooperation. The IAEA
inspections and the IAEA chief's reports indicate no diversion in Iran's legal
activities," he said.
He called on the West to put forward the ideas which
could both honor Iran's legitimate right and allay their real concerns.
Fazli said that Iran has had extensive cooperation
with the IAEA and has provided responses to the remaining problems, so its
natural expectation from "the other side" is reciprocation of the action as the
requisite for confidence-building.
"This can be helpful in preventing issuance of
another (anti-Iran) resolution and sanctions," he added.
The Unite States and Western countries accused Iran
of developing atomic weapons under a civilian cover, but Tehran said that it
only wants to generate electricity by nuclear power.
The UN Security Council has imposed two sanction resolutions against Tehran's
nuclear program since December last year, demanding a halt to the uranium
enrichment activities.
Iran's senior officials, however, have repeatedly denied the request.
