By DPA
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that the US could choose between friendship and continued hostility with Iran.
The remarks by Ahmadinejad, carried by the news network Khabar, came on the verge of probable direct talks between the foreign ministers of Iran and the US on the sidelines of the Iraq conference in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
“They (the US) have made conspiracies against our Islamic system for the last 28 years but gained nothing; continuing this trend will just be to their disadvantage but returning to friendship would be good for them,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Manujan in the south-western province of Kerman.
The president said Iran would welcome “constructive, fair and logical talks” with the US but not accept any demands, including suspension of the uranium enrichment programme.
The US, Europe and the United Nations Security Council demand from Iran immediate suspension of its enrichment programmes or otherwise face sanctions.
“No Iranian official is allowed to withdraw even one step from the nation’s (nuclear) right; even referring to self-made organizations (the UN) would not hinder the Iranian nation to achieve nuclear technology,” Ahmadinejad said.
The Sharm el-Sheikh conference would be a unique opportunity for Iran and the US to hold direct talks at foreign ministers level for the first time in over 27 years.