Iran says talks the only solution

IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that diplomacy is the only way out of his country’s standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear programme and insisted he was serious about negotiations.

Iran’s leader made the comments a day after asserting that his country would not give up its “nuclear rights”, signalling it would refuse demands to stop enriching uranium or at least not to expand its enrichment work.

An informal deadline expired this weekend on an offer of economic and other incentives by six world powers if Iran agreed to curb uranium enrichment.

On Sunday, the Iranian leader repeated that his country was “serious in nuclear talks” and hopes “the other side” were too.

“In case he hasn’t noticed, we are trying to talk with them,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said from Kennebunkport, Maine.

“The door is open, they just need to step through it by suspending their enrichment of uranium.”