IRAN - Sept. 24 - US Extradition Plea Over Al-Qaeda Rejected.

FM Kharrazi tells a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York Tehran would soon put on trial suspected Al-Qaeda activists and rejects US demands that they be extradited to their home countries. He says the suspects in detention have been accused of committing crimes inside Iran "so they have to be tried in our country". (Tehran has previously extradited suspected Al-Qaeda fugitives and their families to their countries of origin. Kharrazi's announcement that Iran's own courts will deal with the issue is bound to antagonise the Bush administration, which wanted access). Asked about the nuclear programme, he says Tehran is willing to negotiate with the IAEA on signing the "additional protocol". "In principle we don't have a problem with the IAEA....Iran had neither the intention nor the capability of building a nuclear weapon". (The US broke off official contacts with Iran in May, accusing Tehran of harbouring senior Al-Qaeda figures who had played a role in planning the May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh that killed more than 30 people, including several American defence contractors. Kharrazi gave no details of the identities or numbers of people who will be put on trial. They are under interrogation and their trials will start in the near future, he said. Iranians associated with them had already gone before the courts, he added, without giving details). He says Tehran handed about 100 suspects to Saudi Arabia and insists Iran has waged its own war against Al-Qaeda. UK Soreign Secretary Straw discussed the nuclear issue during a 30-minute meeting with Kharrazi.