Nuke programme 'will continue'

2006-07-01 20:21

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran will continue its uranium enrichment programme, despite international calls to halt the sensitive project, reported state television on Saturday.

"The Iranian government and the people have decided, and without any doubt with dignity and glory we will pass this phase," said Ahmadinejad, after explaining Iran's fuel cycle programme to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo in Gambia.

Ahmadinejad is in Gambia to address the African Union summit.

Tehran is under mounting pressure to respond to an international offer that would defuse the nuclear standoff.

World powers gave Iran one more week on Thursday, to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal on suspending uranium enrichment.

Tehran has rejected the deadline.

Iran will reply to proposal in August

Foreign ministers of the G8 group of leading nations said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's head nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, would meet to discuss the plan on Wednesday.

"We expect to hear a clear and substantive Iranian response to these proposals at the planned meeting," said the ministers in a statement from Moscow, where they were preparing a July 15 to 17 summit in Saint Petersburg.

But speaking at the United Nations in New York, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would not respond before late August.

Solana handed Iran the proposal from the five permanent UN security council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Germany, on June 6.

The proposal promises incentives and multilateral talks if Iran agrees to temporarily halt uranium enrichment.

Diplomats said Iran was asked to reply by June 29. Last week, Ahmadinejad said Tehran would take until August 22 to answer.

Iran said its nuclear programme was to generate electricity and that uranium enrichment was needed to provide the fuel.

The EU and the US suspect Iran of concealing a military weapons project.

- AFP