Diplomacy only way to end nuclear row - Iran

Tehran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that diplomacy is the only way out of his country's standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear programme and that he is serious about negotiations.

Iran's leader made the comments a day after asserting that his country would not give up its "nuclear rights," signalling that it won't accept demands to stop enriching uranium or at least not to expand its enrichment work.

An informal deadline expired this weekend for Tehran to respond to an offer of economic and other incentives by six world powers if it agreed to curb uranium enrichment.

The United States and its European allies fear Iran intends to use the technology to develop material for nuclear weapons under the cloak of a civilian nuclear power programme. Iran denies the accusation.

Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that his country's participation in any international talks would "be aimed at reinforcing" what Iran regards as its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for a civilian power programme.

Not mediating

Yesterday, the Iranian leader repeated that his country was "serious in nuclear talks" and hopes "the other side" will be as well.

Syria's President Bashar Al Assad visited Iran over the weekend but played down any expectations that he could persuade Syria's close ally to meet Western demands.

During a visit to Paris in mid-July, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Bashar to step in and persuade Iran to offer proof that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.

"I am not mediating and I don't carry any message from any Western country," Bashar told reporters before returning to Damascus. "The media has exaggerated in describing the aims of the visit." Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally - a legacy of its support for Iran during its war with Iraq in the 1980s - and Bashar's visit was his sixth since 2000. He said the visit was a regular one, not for mediating in Iran's nuclear issue. However, he said they discussed the standoff.

"There is a Syrian role to consolidate the dialogue between Tehran and the West without affecting Iran's right to develop its nuclear programme," Bashar said.

Bashar also met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's state radio reported.

Iran's claims that it only wants nuclear technology for the production of energy have failed to quell Western suspicions that it is seeking a pathway to an atomic bomb.

Tehran was given an informal two-week deadline, set July 19 by the Security Council's permanent members plus Germany, to stop expanding uranium enrichment - at least temporarily - in exchange for their commitment to stop seeking new UN sanctions.

The Security Council has slapped three sets of sanctions on Iran over its enrichment and reprocessing of uranium.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Saturday that the United States would have no choice "but to begin again to prepare sanctions resolutions for the (UN) Security Council" if Iran did not halt the development of its enrichment programme.