Tehran, July 13: The Iranian proposal which is supposed to be presented to world powers does not include anything on the nuclear dispute, official news agency IRNA reported Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi told IRNA it would include global nuclear disarmament, finding ways to tackle the global economic crisis, settle cultural and ethical problems as well as deal with global and regional security.
The spokesman said the new proposal was an updated version of the previous one sent to the world powers last year.
It found little interest, because the main Western demand – finding ways to settle the nuclear dispute – was not clearly mentioned.
“Iran is a a great and serious power in the region and especially after the huge turnout in the (June 12) presidential election, its legitimacy has increased,” the spokesman said.
The results of the vote, which led to the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are still disputed within the opposition parties which accuse the government of fraud.
Tehran had also on Saturday insisted on its own agenda as a basis for talks with world powers.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the government was preparing a package on political, international and security issues that it would present to the world powers.
Mottaki added that Iran’s agenda would focus on issues that concern the region and world.
President Ahmadinejad has vowed that Iran would no longer talk with the five UN Security Council member states and Germany on nuclear issues but only on how to settle global problems.
While rejecting any compromise in Iran’s nuclear dispute with the international community, Ahmadinejad said earlier that the government would adopt a tougher stance toward the West and force it to accept Iran’s positions.
At this week’s Group of Eight summit in Italy, the world’s top economies gave Iran until September to reach an agreement with the West on its controversial nuclear programme or face further sanctions.
Mottaki, however, said, “There was no new message from the summit.”
——Agencies