Iran ready to resume talks with West

TEHRAN, April 19 (UPI) -- Iran said Tuesday it is ready to resume talks with Western powers, but the nuclear issue would not be on the table.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the Iranian Student News Agency the government is willing to meet with the P5-plus-one group -- Security Council permanent members China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, plus Germany -- at any time.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy commissioner, recently asked Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili to restart talks.

"We are set to pursue the issue, whenever the other party is ready," Mehmanparast said. But he added, "We believe that our nuclear work is underway in a natural way" and "other shared issues can be discussed."

Iran denies accusations that its nuclear fuel enrichment program is intended to produce weapons

Mehmanparast also said the trip of Iranian U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaei to Cairo "was not in the framework of bilateral ties. His trip came for a specialized meeting sponsored by the U.N. in which no framework for bilateral relations was defined."

Iran cut diplomatic relations in 1979 after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel.