Iran readies package for nuclear talks with West

Iran is preparing a new package of "political, security and international" issues to put to the West, its foreign minister said on Saturday.

"The package can be a good basis for talks with the West. The package will contain Iran's stances on political, security and international issues," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday that the Group of Eight major powers would give Iran until September to accept negotiations over its nuclear ambitions or else face tougher sanctions.

In Iran's first reaction to Sarkozy's statement at the G8 summit in Italy, Mottaki said the Islamic state had not received "any new message" from the summit.

"We have not received any new message from the G8. But based on the news we have received, they had different views on different issues which did not lead to a unanimous agreement in some areas," Mottaki said.

Britain's Foreign Office said it could not comment on Mottaki's remarks as the package was still being prepared. The White House had no immediate comment.

U.S. President Barack Obama warned Iran on Friday that the world would not wait indefinitely for it to end its nuclear defiance, saying Tehran had until September to comply or else face consequences.

Iran has repeatedly ruled out halting sensitive nuclear work which it says is for peaceful power generation purposes but which the West suspects is for making nuclear bombs.