IRNA says Rice's offer of Iran talks 'propaganda'

Tehran, June 1: Iran's official news agency IRNA said today that an offer by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to join European nations in talks with Iran if it suspends uranium enrichment was a ''propaganda move''.

The comments were carried at the end of an IRNA despatch datelined Berlin reporting on European reaction to Rice. IRNA did not cite a source for the reaction and it was not immediately clear if this was Iran's official response.

''Considering the insistence by officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran on continuing uranium enrichment, these remarks made by Rice can only be considered a propaganda move,'' the IRNA report said.

Iranian government officials, who have insisted in the past that Iran would not give up enrichment, had said late on Wednesday they had no immediate comment on the U.S. offer, which was a major policy shift by Washington.

IRNA added: ''Obviously Iran will only accept those proposals and those conditions that preserve the nation's and the country's interests and definitely abandoning enrichment will not fulfil Iran's interests.''

Reuters

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