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TEHRAN : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday ruled out negotiations on Iran's "undeniable" nuclear rights, as world powers await Tehran's proposals for new talks on its controversial uranium enrichment programme.
"In our view the nuclear question is finished. We will not negotiate over Iran's undeniable rights," the hardliner told a Tehran news conference.
"What we have announced is cooperation in two parts: cooperation on peaceful use of clean atomic energy and preventing a proliferation of atomic weapons," Ahmadinejad said.
Iran's uranium enrichment work is at the centre of the standoff with the international community as the process can be used to make nuclear fuel as well as the fissile core of an atom bomb.
Iran insists it has a right to enrich uranium to make nuclear fuel as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and vehemently denies seeking a bomb.
Ahmadinejad said Tehran would continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has been probing Iran's nuclear programme for years.
But "if anyone wants to interfere in the nuclear programme beyond the law, that path is blocked," he warned.
He underlined Islamic republic's stand just hours before the IAEA board of governors gathered in Vienna for a meeting to probe claims that Iran conducted experiments aimed at making a nuclear bomb.
Ahmadinejad also said Tehran was ready for talks in what he called a "fair and logical" framework, and that he was willing to hold a public meeting with US President Barack Obama in the presence of mass media.
He suggested this could take place at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
"Any issue can be discussed but in front of media," he said, adding that Iran will also "hold talks with the United States at different levels if it serves Iranians' interests."
Iran is due to present a set of proposals to world powers which have offered talks over its controversial nuclear programme but have also threatened further sanctions if negotiations fail.
"Our package of proposals is in response to their request of resuming talks," Ahmadinejad said, adding that Iran's proposal was ready to be submitted to Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
Western powers, especially the United States and its ally Israel, accuse Tehran of pursuing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
The Jewish state is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, albeit undeclared.
Ahmadinejad told European countries and the United States to "climb down from fragile glass towers," "change their attitude" towards Iran and "recognise nations' rights."
"They will not benefit from continuing previous policies. But we are prepared for both states," he said.
In his latest report on the IAEA's six-year investigation into Iran's controversial programme, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei complained that one of the main sticking points remained Tehran's refusal to cooperate on the issue of the so-called alleged studies.
This comprises documentation from intelligence sources that suggest Iran was trying to develop a nuclear warhead.
Iran has repeatedly dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and described the evidence used to support the charges as "fabricated."
Tehran insists that Washington's intelligence on the alleged weaponisation studies is forged, and says the United States has not handed over any original documents to support its accusations.
- AFP/vm
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