Ahmadinejad says Iran prepared for nuclear fuel swap

Iranian president sets "red lines" for talks in Turkey; tells P5+1 that uranium enrichment will not end, invites to help with reactor construction.

Ahmadinejad 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Ahmadinejad 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday said that Iran is prepared to discuss a potential swap of nuclear fuel during talks scheduled to resume in January, according to a Reuters report.
Ahmadinejad told the five permanent nations of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) to drop the intent of halting his country's drive for nuclear technology and invited the countries to aid in constructing the 20 planned nuclear power stations.
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"We are in favor of cooperation and they should come and cooperate with us and build us 20 nuclear plants," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
The Iranian president added that Teheran will not discuss ending uranium enrichment during scheduled talks in Turkey and mentioned three "red lines that Iran would not cross."
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Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
"Our nuclear rights, including the continuation of enrichment, making 20 percent uranium and building nuclear plants are not negotiable," he said.
Ahmadinejad hinted that Iran may export part of its supply of low-enriched uranium as a swap for higher-enriched material which would be used by a medical research reactor which cannot yet produce fuel.
"Cooperating in different fields like a fuel swap, and political, economic and security issues of the world are topics for negotiations," he said.