Western nations have said Iran must suspend enrichment, a process that can be used to make fuel for power stations or material for atomic bombs, to start negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends a conference in Tehran entitled 'The World without Zionism', in 2005. The United States reiterated that Iran must verifiably suspend uranium enrichment before it would negotiate with Tehran, deflecting a US newspaper report of a secret suspension deal being struck by Iran and several European nations. [AFP]

"In negotiations, they tell us to suspend uranium enrichment for one day on the pretext of some technical problem and let us continue negotiations with you," Ahmadinejad told a seminar in Tehran, IRNA reported.

"Our answer to them, is no one has the right to abandon the rights of the Iranian nation," he was quoted as saying. "The Iranian nation will not give up its right."

But other Iranian news agencies appeared to give slightly different renderings of what Ahmadinejad said, although the reason for the differences were not clear.

Mehr news agency suggested Iran had ruled out suspension by quoting him saying: "Today, Western countries want us to suspend our nuclear technology, but we say to them that we will never give it up."

Another Iranian news agency, ISNA, reported Ahmadinejad saying: "They tell us 'You should suspend uranium enrichment for just one day on the pretext of some technical problem and then we will negotiate with you.'"

"They say 'You should suspend uranium enrichment on the surface, helping us to say that Iran accepted suspension,' but I have to say we are men of negotiation but we do not demand negotiation," the president added, according to ISNA.

The Washington Times said this week Iran was close to a deal that would include a temporary, 90-day suspension of enrichment and clear the way for talks on a package of incentives offered by six world powers. Iran has dismissed the report.

Ahmadinejad has regularly insisted Iran will not abandon its nuclear plans but earlier this month said Iran was ready to consider unspecified "new conditions" to resolve the nuclear standoff.

The president is not the most powerful figure under Iran's system of clerical rule, which gives the final word in matters of state, including the nuclear file, to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.