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July 20, 2008

Iran's Ahmadinejad Says Nuclear Talks a 'Step Forward' 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1D50FA6:A6F02AD83191E160328665EF75219076B3350E090FE6A6E8&
 
Iran to decide whether it will accept an incentives package in exchange
for suspending its nuclear program 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the presidential office in
Tehran, 13 Jul 2008Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described
Saturday's nuclear talks with world powers in Geneva as a step
forward.At the meeting, Iran was given a two-week deadline to decided
whether it will accept an incentives package in exchange for suspending
its nuclear program. The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier
Solana Saturday said he hopes Iran will provide an answer soon.Iran's
top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said many of the problems related
to the Iranian nuclear dispute can be resolved.Saturday's closed-door
talks were attended for the first time by a senior U.S. envoy - Under
Secretary of State William Burns.Jalili said a letter had been delivered
to the U.S. delegation citing "common grounds and discrepancies." In
Washington, the State Department said Iranian leaders must make a choice
between cooperation and confrontation.Iranian and EU negotiators agreed
to m!
 eet again in two weeks for another round of nuclear talks.Iran Saturday
ruled out suspending its uranium enrichment program, a key demand of
Western powers.The United States and its Western allies have accused
Iran of working to produce a nuclear weapon. Iran says its atomic
program is peaceful.Some information for this report was provided by AFP
and Reuters.


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