Iran to Seek Changes in Incentives Package

Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday the government probably would suggest amendments to a Western package of incentives meant to persuade the Islamic Republic to give up its uranium enrichment program.

Manouchehr Mottaki would not give any timing for Iran’s response. The Tehran regime previously has said that some parts of the package were acceptable but others should be changed, and that the central issue of uranium enrichment needed clarification.

“It is a step forward,” he said.

“In the end, we will present our proposals. It’s a two-way street,” Mottaki said at a joint news conference with Iraqi politician Abdelaziz Hakim, who heads that country’s largest Shiite political party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

Mottaki’s remarks echoed comments made Friday by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Generally speaking, we’re regarding this offer as a step forward, and I have instructed my colleagues to carefully consider it,” Ahmadinejad said after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao in Shanghai.

Iran denies accusations by the U.S. and others that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, saying its program is solely for the generation of electricity.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented the package of perks and possible penalties, drawn up by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, to Tehran on June 6.