Iran ready to halt nuclear programme 'provided West does same'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today said his country was ready to stop its nuclear enrichment programme – provided Western nations also stopped their own.

Mr Ahmadinejad told a crowd of thousands in northern Iran one day ahead of a UN Security Council deadline that it was no problem for his country to stop, but that “fair talks” demanded a similar gesture from the West.

“That ... we shut down our nuclear fuel cycle programme to let talks begin. It’s no problem. But justice demands that those who want to hold talks with us shut down their nuclear fuel cycle programme too. Then, we can hold dialogue under a fair atmosphere,” Mr Ahmadinejad said.

The Security Council has set tomorrow as a deadline for Iran to stop uranium enrichment or face further economic sanctions.

Iran has long insisted that it will not stop its nuclear activities as a condition for negotiations to start.

“The condition they set for talks is a condition that deprives us of our rights,” he said of the United States and its Western allies. “We have never been after confrontation and tension. We have always been for dialogue but dialogue under fair conditions.”

Mr Ahmadinejad spoke in a far more conciliatory tone than the one he usually adopts, avoiding fiery denunciations of the West with a call for talks.

“We are for talks but they have to be fair negotiations. That means, both sides hold talks under equal conditions,” he said.

He added, however, that it was unacceptable for countries to demand that Iran stop its nuclear activities without reciprocity.

“We say how is it that your (nuclear fuel) production facilities work 24 hours a day, but you feel threatened by our newly established complex and we need to shut it down for talks,” he asked.

On December 23 the Security Council agreed to impose limited sanctions against Iran and gave the country 60 days to halt enrichment or face additional measures.

At the time, Iran rejected the resolution as “illegal” and said it would not give up its right under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel.

The United States and several of its Western allies believe Iran is using its nuclear programme to produce an atomic weapon – charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity.

Enriched to a low level, uranium is used to produce nuclear fuel, but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in building an atomic bomb.