Iran on Tuesday rejected UN nuclear chief's proposal for direct talks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear issue, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, deputy head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA.

"Minor talks can, however, be held within the G5+1 framework with the United States as a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) so as to solve the nuclear issue speedily," Fazli said.

About the G5+1 framework, he refers to the five permanent members of the UNSC -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US-- plus Germany.

Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has suggested that Tehran and Washington hold direct talks on the nuclear crisis.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said last month that Iran was prepared to consider the UN nuclear watchdog's proposal to hold direct talks with the US on its controversial uranium enrichment program.

While voicing Tehran's rejection to the proposed direct talks with Washington, Fazli also rejected the West's suggestions on Iran's nuclear issue, saying "Tehran does not accept any idea calling for suspension of uranium enrichment."

"We have announced clearly that we will never accept suspension meaning temporary halt to our nuclear activities," he said. "And we will never back down from our position in that respect."

Fazli, however, expressed that while continuing its legal nuclear activities, Iran maintains its full cooperation with the IAEA.

"As an NPT (the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) signatory and IAEA member, we have had any kind of cooperation. The IAEA inspections and the IAEA chief's reports indicate no diversion in Iran's legal activities," he said.

He called on the West to put forward the ideas which could both honor Iran's legitimate right and allay their real concerns.

Fazli said that Iran has had extensive cooperation with the IAEA and has provided responses to the remaining problems, so its natural expectation from "the other side" is reciprocation of the action as the requisite for confidence-building.

"This can be helpful in preventing issuance of another (anti-Iran) resolution and sanctions," he added.

The Unite States and Western countries accused Iran of developing atomic weapons under a civilian cover, but Tehran said that it only wants to generate electricity by nuclear power.

The UN Security Council has imposed two sanction resolutions against Tehran's nuclear program since December last year, demanding a halt to the uranium enrichment activities.
 
Iran's senior officials, however, have repeatedly denied the request.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2007)