Iranian Invites Six Powers To Tehran (Ahmadinejad Offer Includes U.S. but Rejects Nuclear Talks)

Washington Post ^ | 9/8/09 | Thomas Erdbrink

[nickcarraway]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday invited representatives from a group of six world powers, including the United States, to Tehran, but he said negotiations over his country's right to a nuclear program would be off the table.

Discussion on the nuclear issue, he told reporters at a news conference, is "finished."

"We will never negotiate on the Iranian nation's obvious rights," he said, adding that Iran would not halt its uranium enrichment efforts. Ahmadinejad said Iran had prepared a proposal for breaking the deadlock on its nuclear program, and he asked diplomats to come to Tehran to pick it up.

The statement came as the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog announced that his agency was locked in a "stalemate" with Iran. The Obama administration has offered to open talks with Iran on nuclear and other issues, and Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he has urged Iran "to respond positively to the recent U.S. initiative."

The United States and other world powers have said they intend to take stock of Iran's stance on nuclear talks around the time of the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, scheduled for Sept. 23-25.

There have been no diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States for three decades, so a visit by an American official to Tehran would be historic. Ahmadinejad said Iran was prepared to share with members of the "5 plus 1" group -- the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, France and Germany -- his country's position on its nuclear program. On Wednesday, the six powers had pressed Iran to meet them for talks on the nuclear program before the General Assembly meeting.

[ntmxx]

Group of six world powers? I thought the Foreign Nations Organization (aka UN) was for such activity. Further, why would any first world county include Iran; which is a theocracy advocating genocide and generic murder based on prejudices?