By RIA Novosti
Tehran : Iran has rejected UN calls to impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment and demanded new solutions to its controversial nuclear programme, the country’s top nuclear negotiator said.
“We have clearly defined our position on the issue of the moratorium and enrichment activities,” Ali Larijani told reporters Wednesday.
The Iranian top nuclear negotiator added that the Western countries would need “new initiatives to consider”. He said a solution to the Iranian nuclear programme could be found through the good will of the negotiating parties.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, have demanded that Tehran suspend all uranium enrichment before negotiating a solution to the dispute.
Iran has defied three consecutive UN resolutions against its nuclear programme since last year, insisting its nuclear programme, which includes a Russian-built nuclear power plant in the south of the country, is for purely peaceful purposes.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in early April the start of uranium enrichment on an industrial scale.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said earlier this week that the country would not stop its enrichment programme even if new UN sanctions were introduced.
However, Iran has recently increased cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and invited weapons inspectors to visit a 40-MW heavy water reactor in Arak in July.
The pact, signed between the IAEA and Iran in August, allowed Tehran to solve each of the disputes surrounding its nuclear plan in turn, but was criticised by many Western diplomats.
Iran has repeatedly stated that a halt of enrichment activities is absolutely unacceptable, since it has an unalienable right to a peaceful nuclear programme under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The US, Britain and France have once again urged the UN to exert pressure on Iran and work out a new resolution imposing fresh sanctions on Iran.