Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a set of incentives and penalties aimed at persuading Tehran to curtail its nuclear programmes was a positive step but left open how he would officially respond.Ahmadinejad’s remarks were the highest-level sign that Iran was preparing to negotiate over the package, which calls for negotiations with the US and other incentives if Iran freezes its uranium enrichment programme.“Generally speaking, we’re regarding this offer as a step forward and I have instructed my colleagues to carefully consider it,” Ahmadinejad told reporters after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in China’s commercial hub of Shanghai.But he deflected questions about when Iran would respond and what its counter-offers may be. ‘‘My colleagues are carefully considering the package of proposals offered by the six countries to the Islamic Republic of Iran and in due time they will give the response,’’ he told the news conference in Shanghai through a translator.President Hu urged Ahmadinejad to ‘‘positively respond’’ to the package, Xinhua news agency reported. But Hu also said: ‘‘China understands Iran’s concerns on its right to peacefully use nuclear power.’’Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, ‘‘We are convinced that talks are very important but certainly talks must be unconditional,’’ he said. ‘‘We see a lot of positive things there, but there are some things that we don’t understand and that raise questions,’’ he added.Neither Ahmadinejad or Araghchi said what problems Iran saw with the incentives. Iran has sent mixed signals on how it would respond ever since the incentives were offered last month. Iran denies accusations by the US and others that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, saying its programme would only generate energy.Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took a hard-line approach on Thursday. He was quoted on state television as saying, ‘‘The Islamic Republic of Iran will not succumb to these pressures.’’During a news conference at the end of a visit to China’s commercial hub of Shanghai, Ahmadinejad sought to court China and deny that Iran harbours any nuclear weapon ambitions or dangerous enmities. ‘‘Basically, we are not seeking to develop nuclear weapons,’’ said a relaxed Ahmadinejad, who bantered with reporters.Ahmadinejad also said Iran was not afraid of an Israeli attack, and repeated assertions that the Nazi Holocaust remained unproven. The Iranian President said, ‘‘An event that has influenced so many diplomatic and political equations of the world needs to investigated and researched by impartial and independent groups,’’ he added.
