President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants negotiations on Iran's nuclear file but will not halt uranium enrichment ahead of talks, U.N. chief Kofi Annan said Sunday after meeting the Iranian leader.
"On the nuclear issue, the president reaffirmed to me Iran's preparedness and commitment to hold negotiations" with Western powers to find a solution to the impasse over Tehran's nuclear activities, Annan told a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki.
However, Ahmadinejad "reiterated that he did not accept suspension before negotiations," the U.N. chief said.
Ahmadinejad "reaffirmed his country's support for the implementation of resolution 1701," Annan said, referring to the resolution that imposed a cease-fire in fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said that the main world players in Iran's nuclear case advocate negotiations. "Tehran believes that its nuclear case will be settled just through negotiations and other solutions would bear no fruits.
"An upcoming meeting to be held between Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani and the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana will determine next steps," he said.
He noted that the date and place of the meeting between Larijani and Solana have not been fixed yet, stressing that the meeting would be held in a very near future.
