US President George W Bush has said that the initial response of Iran to the latest package offer on the nuclear issue appeared positive.
The Iranian initial response "sounds like a positive step to me", Bush said in remarks during a visit yesterday to Laredo, Texas. "We will see if the Iranians take our offer seriously," he said.
"I have said the United States will come and sit down at the table with them, so long as they are willing to suspend their enrichment in a verifiable way," the president said. "I want to solve this issue with Iran diplomatically."
The US and Europe have presented a "carrots and sticks" package to Iran offering it the possibility of enriching uranium in its own territory if Tehran adheres to certain stringent norms.
The proposal made to Iran on Tuesday by US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia was to encourage Tehran to stop developing its nuclear programme and offers a "fresh start" based on "mutual respect."
After initially downplaying any interest in the proposal, Iran now says it needs more time to consider the proposal.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has briefed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his mission to Iran to lay out the incentives package. Teheran, according to Solana, have said that they would need time to consider the proposal, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
{{/usCountry}}European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has briefed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his mission to Iran to lay out the incentives package. Teheran, according to Solana, have said that they would need time to consider the proposal, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
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