White House heartened Iran takes offer seriously

ROSWELL, N.M., Jun 6 (Reuters) The White House said today it was heartening that Iran is taking an incentives package from six world powers seriously, but that the Iranian government needed to suspend nuclear enrichment activities.

Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani described the package as positive but containing ambiguities, after being presented with it by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to comment ''on any characterisations of the incentives or the disincentives.'' ''I would repeat the central point which is, if the Iranians agree to suspend enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, then we'll be able to discuss more openly what the incentives are and we certainly hope that that's the case,'' Snow told reporters traveling with President George W.

Bush.

REUTERS SRS HT2135