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| Iran opens nuclear fuel facility | Iran opens nuclear fuel facility |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has opened the country's first nuclear fuel production plant, reports say. | Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has opened the country's first nuclear fuel production plant, reports say. |
| He cut the ribbon at the facility in the central province of Isfahan at a ceremony marking national nuclear day. | |
| The move comes as Tehran considers an offer by six world powers, including the United States, to take part in fresh talks on the crisis. | The move comes as Tehran considers an offer by six world powers, including the United States, to take part in fresh talks on the crisis. |
| Iran denies Western claims it aims to build a nuclear bomb, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful ends. | Iran denies Western claims it aims to build a nuclear bomb, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful ends. |
| The newly-opened plant in Isfahan will produce pellets of uranium oxide to fuel a heavy-water reactor planned for completion by 2010, the Associated Press reports. | |
| This signals Iran has reached the final stage in the nuclear fuel cycle, analysts say. | |
| Policy shift | |
| Earlier, a senior adviser to President Ahmadinejad said Iran was considering what he called a "constructive proposal" by the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain for fresh talks on the issue. | |
| "We hope that this proposal means a change of approach to a more realistic attitude. The Islamic Republic of Iran will examine (it) and give its response," Ali Akbar Javanfekr said. | |
| Russia and China - trading partners of Iran - have urged Tehran to accept the invitation. | |
| Iran needs to "convince us all of the exclusively peaceful character of its nuclear programme", Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. | |
| On Wednesday, the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany said they would ask EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to approach Iran with the talks offer. | |
| In a statement, they said they "strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect". | |
| Signalling a policy shift, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would be a "full participant" in talks. | |
| "Obviously we believe that pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes senses," she said. | |
| "There is nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon." | |
| China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said on Thursday that Beijing is "glad to see an improvement in relations between the United States and Iran". | |
| It is not clear whether the inauguration of the nuclear fuel facility will affect the offer. |