IRAN - June 11 - Tehran Sees 'Problems' In Nuclear Offer.

The country's top official Ali Larijani, says there are "problems and ambiguities" in the recent incentive package offered by the world's leading powers to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear programme. His comments comes a day after the Iranian FM had hinted that Tehran was likely to submit a counter-proposal to the offer delivered by the leading powers last week. Speaking in Egypt, Larijani made clear Iran was in no mood to accept any US ultimatum, after Pres Bush says that Tehran had "weeks not months" to respond to the package, delivered last week by the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. He said after meeting Egypt's Pres Hosni Mubarak that the offer of nuclear technology was a "positive point" but that the key issue of uranium enrichment remained ambiguous. Larijani denied Iran had been given a limited time to respond. Other Iranian officials have taken a similar tone in recent days, suggesting Tehran believes it can spin out a process the US wants to steer towards UN sanctions. The foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi, said on Iran would take "as long as is necessary" before replying, and echoed June 10 announcement from the FM Manouchehr Mottaki, that it might submit counter-proposals. Mottaki spoke of "shuttle diplomacy" in which Iran would send "a genuine proposal or counter-package" to the Europeans. He did not elaborate on what might be contained in the proposals. Details of the package offered to Iran also remain confidential, but they are believed to include a range of economic benefits as well as the supply of limited nuclear technology. The US has said it will join talks - despite the lack of diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran - as long as Iran first suspended uranium enrichment, the most sensitive part of the atomic programme, and the processing of raw uranium. Iranian officials, who dismiss Washington's claims that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons, have consistently ruled out suspension and called for talks without preconditions. The diplomatic focus is set to shift on Jun 12 to Vienna, with a board meeting of the IAEA. A report by Muhammad ElBaradei, director-general of the UN body, revealed last week that, on the day the incentives package was delivered, Tehran increased the scale of uranium enrichment after having reduced it two months ago. The timing was on Sunday described as a "coincidence" by Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iranian ambassador to the IAEA. "It was a technical decision by our scientists to resume on this day. It was definitely not a provocation", Soltanieh told Reuters. The AP reported on Jun 11 that a US position paper was designed to rally the IAEA board's 35 member countries with a claim that the permanent members of the UN Security Council had agreed to "pursue measures [to] pressure the Iranian regime to change course".