Iran deputy minister rejects uranium enrichment freeze

BEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) Iran is not considering a freeze of its uranium enrichment as part of any solution to its nuclear standoff with Washington and its allies, an Iranian deputy foreign minister said today in Beijing.

Manuchehr Mohammadi, on a visit to China, said Iran was awaiting ''clarification'' of a package offered by Western countries in an effort to rein in Iran's nuclear programme.

But Mohammadi told Reuters that Iran was not considering freezing its uranium enrichment activities as part of a solution.

''We did it before, we did it for two and a half years. It proved that it didn't work,'' he said. ''Nothing came as the fruitful and useful conclusion.'' The United States, which accuses Tehran of secretly working to build nuclear weapons, has demanded a clear Iranian response before next weekend's summit of Group of Eight industrialised nations in Russia or face possible UN Security Council action.

Mohammadi said the non-proliferation treaty could become a ''useless paper'' if peaceful nuclear rights are not respected.

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