Iran's foreign minister said yesterday that a Western package of incentives designed to persuade Teheran to suspend uranium enrichment is a "step forward" in the nuclear dispute.

"We consider it a step forward to present this package of incentives," Manouchehr Mottaki said as he arrived at Madrid airport for talks with his Spanish counterpart. He was referring to a proposal devised by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany that was presented to Teheran last week.

Mottaki would not specify when Teheran might make a decision on whether to accept the incentives. "We are going to review and study the proposals seriously," he told reporters.

Mottaki said that, after Iran had reviewed the incentives, it would consult with Germany, Britain and France to express its views.

"Then we'll decide together how to handle the issue and follow up the matter to the finalization and solution of the problem," he said in English. Spain was not one of the countries involved in the incentives package.

Mottaki said Iran also would hold discussions with other European countries, China, Russia and non-aligned nations.

Referring to the discussions in general that Iran will hold, he said: "We think we are going to work seriously to this end to guarantee the legitimate right of our country and overcome the concerns of the other side."

The incentives include an offer to provide Iran with nuclear technology to get it to step away from enriching uranium, and would bring Washington into direct talks with Teheran.

(China Daily June 15, 2006)