Iran is offered incentives to halt uranium enrichment

World powers urged Iran on Saturday to suspend its controversial enrichment of uranium in exchange for a new package of economic and political incentives. But the proposal appeared to differ little from one rejected in 2006, and Tehran appeared poised to spurn the latest offer as well.

"Iran does not accept any precondition which implies suspension of uranium enrichment," said Gholamhossein Elham, a spokesman for the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

At an appearance in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, President Bush said Saturday that he was "disappointed that the leaders rejected this generous offer out of hand."

Bush reached out to the Iranian people and accused Ahmadinejad of hurting his own country by refusing to accept the package, though Iran has not formally rejected the offer.

"It's an indication to the Iranian people that their leadership is willing to isolate them further," Bush said. "And our view is we want the Iranian people to flourish and to benefit. We want their economy to be strong so people can grow up in peace and hope; and . . . this Ahmadinejad . . . takes a different position from that."

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana came to Tehran to hand-deliver the package of incentives as the head of a diplomatic team representing Europe, Russia and China. The United States, which does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, did not dispatch a representative. But the package included a letter signed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British, French, Chinese and Russian counterparts urging Iranian cooperation.

Like Bush's comments, the visit was meant to appeal to the Iranian public and moderates within the government. Solana detailed the newly assembled package of incentives Saturday evening at a news conference in English and Persian at the German Embassy in Tehran.

He urged the Islamic Republic to accept the international community's package of security, economic, political and scientific inducements meant to stave off a further escalation of the confrontation between the West over the Iranian nuclear program.

"We want a fully normalized relationship with your country in all fields, including the nuclear issue," said Solana, flanked by representatives of Russia and China, which are often sympathetic to the Iranian position.

"Iran is a great country," Solana said. "We want Iran to play an important role in the international community."