Iran on Sunday calls for an immediate resumption of nuclear negotiations with the European Union (EU), though it continued to show a stance as fixed as before on the crux of its uranium enrichment program.

In a letter to the foreign ministers of the European trio of Britain, France and Germany, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani urged the Europeans to hold "logical and constructive negotiations within the framework of respective conventions and regulations of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

This is the first formal request for new round of talks made by Tehran since it defiantly resumed uranium conversion work, the initial stage of the enrichment, on Aug. 8, and therefore scuttled the bilateral negotiations between Iran and the European trio, reported the official IRNA news agency.

Iran had previously expressed willingness for many times to reopen the talks, which was most symbolized by its recent admission of the IAEA inspectors to a confidential military site named Parchin near Tehran.

However, the Islamic Republic was also toughly opposed to the EU precondition of re-suspending the conversion activities, which has also been demanded by an IAEA resolution in late September.

Larijani mentioned nothing in explicitness about the enrichment, but stressed that the Iranian government is "resolved to attain the country's legitimate rights as stipulated by international conventions on civilian application of nuclear energy", said observers here.

Iran's offer of new talks was made several days after the hardline government took a substantial step to implement President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear proposal of foreign participation into the country's uranium enrichment project, which Iran believe can keep the enrichment activities transparent enough but has been sniffed at by the EU and the United States.

Ahmadinejad's plan was approved at Wednesday's cabinet meeting, which also authorized the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to take measures necessary to attract foreign and domestic investment in the enrichment process, which, in some sense, reinforces the country's intention to press ahead with its enrichment program regardless of Europe's dissuasion and warning.

Shortly before official media's revelation of Larijani's letter, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi hailed Ahmadinejad's offer as "the best solution to the dispute with its feasibility of the highest degree."

On Saturday, several lawmakers voiced their determination to defend Iran's right to build nuclear fuel cycle, which necessitates uranium enrichment, saying it is a legitimate and undeniable right enshrined by the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Hamid-Reza Hajbabaei, member of the Majlis (parliament) Presiding Board, told the semi-official Mehr news agency that conducting uranium conversion activities was Tehran's "least demand" and it was no longer on the agenda of nuclear talks.

Currently Iran could only discuss plans to start the enrichment in talks with other countries, he added.

Hassan Kamran, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, even threatened to restart uranium enrichment activities immediately if the Europeans "seek to act dishonestly".

Parliament member Saeed Abutaleb also said that the EU was "not in a situation to set preconditions for talks now" and "from now on Iran would determine the conditions for talks."

Source: Xinhua