Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said on Wednesday that a resumption of nuclear talks with the European Union (EU) was conditioned on recognition of Iran's legitimate right to uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes.

"Talks, if any, on Iran's nuclear case should be based on recognizing Tehran's right to enrichment and possessing nuclear fuel cycle," Larijani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

Larijani said that the nuclear talks should "fall within a definite goal and time frame, otherwise it will mean losing chance".

The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU trio of Britain, France and Germany broke off after Iran rejected an EU offer to give up uranium enrichment in return for economic incentives and resumed uranium conversion, a precursor to uranium enrichment, in early August.

The EU insisted that Iran must resume suspension of all enrichment related activities in compliance with a resolution adopted by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in late September before restarting talks.

The 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors found Iran in noncompliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), paving the way for the Islamic republic to be referred to the UN Security Council.

But diplomats have said that the UN nuclear watchdog might put off referring Iran to the Security Council when it meets on Thursday because the United States and the EU want to give Russia time to persuade Tehran to accept a proposal which allows Iran to perform uranium conversion on condition that its enrichment work be diverted to Russia.

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Vienna-based international organizations Mohammad-Mehdi Akhundzadeh said that Iran was "prepared to deal with and face any decision" the IAEA would make on Thursday.

The United States has accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists that its nuclear program is for fully peaceful purposes.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2005)