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Iranian president says Iran has up to 6,000 centrifuges

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-26 21:06

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran now has up to 6,000 centrifuges, the website of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran today possesses 6,000 centrifuges," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in Mashhad, capital of the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

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"Today they (the West) have agreed that the existing 5,000 to 6,000 centrifuges do not increase and there is no problem if this number of centrifuges work," Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad announced in April that Iran had begun installing 6,000 centrifuges at Natanz.

However, Ahmadinejad praised US participation in the latest round of talks on the country's nuclear program, saying it is "a positive step."

"Iran's resistance make the United States change its stance and take part in the talks without suspension of uranium enrichment," he said," We consider it as a good step forward."

World powers have offered in a package of incentives handed over to Iran last month to start pre-negotiations during which Tehran would add no more uranium-enriching centrifuges and in return facing no further sanctions.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Solana held talks on July 19 on Iran's nuclear program in the Swiss city of Geneva, in the presence of US Undersecretary of State William Burns and senior diplomats from China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

Western diplomats said after the meeting that Iran has given no clear answer to the package of incentives for suspending its nuclear program, but the Islamic Republic was asked to response within two weeks.

But Ahmadinejad vowed on Wednesday that Iran would make no concessions in  nuclear rights and that further sanctions would not force it to back down.