"I think we need to promote very seriously the issue of denuclearisation.

Nuclear weapons do not solve any problem. They only bring disaster," Manouchehr Mottaki said at the start of a two-day visit to Athens.

"I think all countries in the world should proceed with denuclearisation. It is the best guarantee of security," he said.

Iran and world powers began talks Monday on the deepening standoff over the Iranian nuclear programme for the first time in 14 months, as Tehran claimed the upper hand by producing its own raw material for enrichment.

Just a day ahead of the talks, Iran raised the stakes by revealing that it had mined and produced its first home-grown batch of uranium yellowcake instead of seeking to import new supplies.

That triggered statements of concern in Washington and Europe ahead of the meeting in Geneva between the European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, and Iran's chief negotiator, Saeed Jalili.

The talks, which are scheduled to last two days, began promptly Monday morning, with Ashton, Jalili and officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States sitting around a table.

"We feel the countries participating in the talks today have the scope to follow a policy that solves the issue," Mottaki said in Athens.

"We hope that the talks and negotiations will continue in a constructive manner and that we will reach a positive outcome.

"Diplomats are usually positive people. That is why we hope these negotiations will have a positive result for both sides," the foreign minister said.

Tehran maintains that it is seeking nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but Western countries have accused the Islamic republic of engaging in a covert programme to build nuclear weapons.

"We have been talking for years...and there are certain shared positions where we could cooperate," Mottaki told a press conference later in the day.

"We hope the approach shown (by the other side) will enable us not to set any red lines."

But he insisted that "the era when certain countries imposed their will is over ... the era when certain people saw science and technology as their exclusive privilege is over.

"Science and technology belongs to all humanity, for peaceful reasons. Those with major nuclear weapons factories are the real threat."

"We are asking for nothing more than what is our right, and we will not settle for anything less, we want this for everyone," the minister added.

"We cannot bargain away countries' rights," he said.

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