Wednesday, May 17 2006 17:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tehran: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today (May 17, 2006) rejected a European plan to offer his country incentives, including a light-water nuclear reactor, in return for giving up uranium enrichment.

"Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?" Ahmadinejad told thousands of people in central Iran.

European nations have weighed adding a light-water reactor to a package of incentives meant to persuade Tehran to permanently give up uranium enrichment or face the threat of UN Security Council sanctions.

Senior diplomats and EU government officials said yesterday that the tentative plans were being discussed among France, Britain and Germany as part of a possible package to be presented to senior representatives of the five permanent UN Security Council members at a meeting in London.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the information.

"The Iranian nation won't accept any suspension or end" to its uranium enrichment activities, Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

He said Iran trusted the European Union in 2003 and suspended its nuclear activities as a gesture to boost negotiations over its nuclear programme, only to have the Europeans eventually demand Iran permanently halt its uranium enrichment programme.

The 2003 deal called for guarantees that Iran's nuclear programme wouldn't diverge from civilian ends toward producing weapons.