Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that his country is serious in defending its absolute nuclear rights, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a cabinet session that "The government has the responsibility to meet the nation's demands, that is implementation of the (Supreme Leader's nuclear) policies."

"The president, as the person in charge of the country's executive body, has the duty to follow up the issue and announce nuclear stance of the country," he said.

The president added that the Iranian nation is serious in defending its absolute nuclear rights, reported IRNA.

Iran will "defend and celebrate their right to peaceful use of nuclear technology" during the Ten-Day Dawn ceremony, Ahmadinejad said without elaborating on details of the plan.

Iran holds the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations on Feb. 1-11 every year to mark the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006, demanding Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities but Iran has rejected the resolution as an "illegal measure" and vowed to continue the country's nuclear programs.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)