NPT rights not up for debate, Iran says

TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Iran's rights under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty aren't a matter for discussion, a top Iranian foreign affairs official said.

Iran claims it can pursue a civilian nuclear program under the terms of the NPT, pointing to "inalienable rights" spelled out in the treaty that let Iran "develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

Tehran met with key leaders in Geneva this week to restart talks on its controversial nuclear program. Iran announced earlier this week that it could process yellow cake uranium from domestic sources.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, described the discussions in Geneva as "substantive" and said all parties agreed to resume talks in Istanbul in January.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of a national security council in the Iranian Parliament, complained, however, that Iran wasn't "supposed to negotiate its nuclear rights defined under the NPT," the semiofficial Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying.

He added that it was time for the West to admit that Iran has access to key nuclear technology.

Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though its Western adversaries accuse Tehran of hiding a weapons program.