Iran Open to Talks

This is a start. From the AP:

Iran's president said Thursday his country is open to talks offered by the U.S. and other countries over its nuclear program. But he insisted the talks must be based on respect for Iran's rights, suggesting the West should not try to force Tehran to stop uranium enrichment.

Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comments during celebrations for Iran's Nuclear Day, in which a number of advances in Iran's nuclear program were announced.

Among them, officials said the number of centrifuges at Iran's uranium enrichment facility had increased to 7,000 — up from 6,000 announced in February — and that a new, more advanced type of centrifuge had been tested. Ahmadinejad also announced the opening of a new plant for developing uranium fuel for a planned hard-water reactor.

Ahmadinejad's comments came after the United States and other nations invited Iran to direct talks over resolving the standoff over its nuclear ambitions. The Obama administration's announcement that it would join the talks marked a shift from the policy of former President George W. Bush, whose administration generally shunned such meetings.

Ahmadinejad said past talks with European nations failed because "they were insisting on stopping our peaceful activities, they were trying to impose that. It was clear the Iranian people would not accept that."

"The Iranian nation has always been for talks," Ahmadinejad said. But, he said, "dialogue has to be based on justice and respecting rights ... Justice means both sides are treated equally and bilateral rights are respected."