Tehran prepares new package to offer West

TEHRAN (Reuters/AFP) - Iran is preparing a new package of political, security and international issues to put
to the West, Iranian Foreign Minister said on Saturday.
He also played down G8 concerns about its crackdown on protests after the June presidential election and its
nuclear programme.
The package can be a good basis for talks with the West. The package will contain Irans stances on political,
security and international issues, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday that the Group of Eight major powers would give Iran until
September to accept negotiations over its nuclear ambitions or face tougher sanctions.
In Irans first reaction to Sarkozys statement at the G8 summit in Italy, Mottaki said the Islamic Republic had not
received any new message from the summit.
We have not received any new message from the G8. But based on the news we have received, they had
different views on different issues which did not lead to a unanimous agreement in some areas, Mottaki said.
They (world leaders) had different views and in some cases they did not reach an overall agreement... we are
going to present our package which will be a basis to negotiate all regional and international issues, he added,
without elaborating.
If there is a new message we will act on it accordingly, Mottaki said.
Britains Foreign Office said it could not comment on Mottakis remarks as the package was still being
prepared. The White House had no immediate comment.
US President Barack Obama warned Iran on Friday that the world would not wait indefinitely for it to end its
nuclear defiance, saying Tehran had until September to comply or else face consequences.
EU powers Britain, France and Germany have led negotiations with Iran over nuclear work that the West
suspects is aimed at bomb-making.
Tehran says its nuclear work is wholly peaceful and remains defiant in the nuclear row with the West, saying Iran
will not back down even one step over its disputed programme.
Together with the United States, Russia and China, the EU nations have offered a package of economic and
other incentives to Iran if it will stop enriching uranium, a process that can produce fuel for power plants, or,
potentially, a nuclear bomb.
Iran has rejected the demand, saying it has the right to pursue such work as a member of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty.
In a separate statement, the G8 said it was committed to finding a diplomatic solution to Irans nuclear
programme.