May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

TEHRAN, May 13: Iran will soon put forward new proposals to resolve its dispute with the West over its nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday.But Ahmadinejad also made clear the Islamic Republic would not bow to UN demands and halt sensitive nuclear work Western powers suspect is aimed at making bombs.

Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear activities are a peaceful drive to generate electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.

“There are various concerns in the world which big powers have no solutions for ... but Iran has solutions,” Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran.

“We have prepared a package which will soon be offered,” he said, without giving details.

Six world powers agreed in London on May 2 to offer a revised package of economic and other incentives to Iran to coax it to halt uranium enrichment, a process which can make fuel for power plants or material for warheads.

Tehran has repeatedly ruled out any suspension of its nuclear programme, which has prompted three rounds of UN sanctions since 2006, and says it has its own ideas on how to help defuse the row. White House spokeswoman said on Tuesday world powers were finalising the package of incentives.

“We continue to reiterate our call to Iran to suspend enrichment and come to the table .... Our incentives package ...is the one with merit,” Dana Perino told reporters in Washington.

But Ahmadinejad said no incentives offered by the West would persuade Iran to abandon its right to develop its nuclear programme.—Reuters