Ahmadinejad: No talks on nukes

QAZVIN, Iran, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Iran will not discuss the nuclear issue in proposed talks with major powers, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday.

"We have repeatedly said that our (nuclear) rights are not negotiable ... . We only hold talks to resolve international problems ... to help the establishment of peace," he said.

The Iranian president made the comments as he toured Qazvin, IRNA, the state news agency, said.

Ahmadinejad was referring to plans by the United States, France, Russia, Britain, Germany and China to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in proposed talks later this month.

"Iran is ready to hold talks based on an equal footing to help settle ongoing problems, ease international concerns and establish peace and security in the world," Press TV quoted the president as saying.

"If former U.S. President (George W. Bush) had respected (the) rights of other nations, the 9/11 events would have never happened ... . If you held any respect for nations, Iraq and Afghanistan would never been occupied and hundreds of thousands of people there would not have been killed, wounded and misplaced," Ahmadinejad said.