Iran preparing proposals for talks with West, official says

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) - Iran is working on a new package of proposals that could form a framework for future talks with Western nations, Iran's foreign minister said.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the package of proposals, announced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in April, covers a variety of political, economic and security issues, including its nuclear program, reported the state-run Fars News Agency.

"General topics in political, international and security fields are being prepared in the form of a package of proposals and we believe it forms a good basis for talks over the issues afflicting the region and the world," Mottaki said Saturday.

At the G8 meeting Friday in Italy, President Barack Obama said the world will not "wait indefinitely" and allow Iran to build nuclear weapons.

The Group of Eight, or G8, is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United States.

Obama has pledged diplomatic engagement with Iran and the G8 issued a statement expressing commitment "to finding a diplomatic solution to the issue of Iran's nuclear program."

Mottaki said Iran had not heard directly from the G8, according Fars, but that it would respond "in due time" if there was a new message.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons but Iran says it has the right to enrich uranium, which fuels reactors, to produce nuclear power.

In an effort to persuade Iran to stop its enrichment program, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany presented Tehran with economic incentives in June 2008.

The State Department announced earlier this year that it has asked the European Union's international policy chief, Javier Solana, to invite Iran to new talks with the Security Council's permanent members and Germany.