Saeed Jalili, speaking at a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, also said Iran wishes to continue discussions on a package of proposals it has put to the P5-plus-1 countries -- the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

The television's website quoted Jalili as saying that he hopes talks with world powers on a draft deal for the supply of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel "will be completed as quickly as possible."

He added: "Tehran still welcomes the discussions (with the P5+1) on the basis of its package of proposals."

The six powers held talks with Iranian negotiators in Geneva on October 1 on Tehran's package of proposals, during which they agreed in principle on Iranian uranium being sent to a third country to be enriched and used for the Tehran reactor.

Further talks were held between Iran, France, Russia and the United States in Vienna on October 20, when a UN-drafted proposal on the supply of nuclear fuel to the Tehran reactor was discussed in depth.

The world powers have endorsed the plan drafted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's atomic watchdog, but a final response is still awaited from Tehran.

Jalili emphasised that the negotiations on nuclear fuel are commercial and economic in nature and that further talks must take account of technical and economic matters raised by Iran.

Earlier on Sunday, ISNA and Mehr news agencies quoted Alaeddin Borujerdi, the head of parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, as saying the UN-drafted proposals are still on the table a day after suggesting that Tehran could reject the deal.

"Our first option is to buy fuel of 20 percent (enrichment), but if we cannot buy it we could make a limited exchange on condition that first we get fuel of 20 percent," he said, adding that Iran's Supreme National Security Council will take the final decision.

Borujerdi had said on Saturday that Iran has decided to reject proposals from major powers for the supply of nuclear fuel.

Under the plan thrashed out in the Vienna talks, Iran would ship out most of its own stocks of low-enriched uranium (LEU) in return for 20 percent enriched fuel.

The scheme was designed to assuage fears that Iran could otherwise divert some of its LEU and further enrich it to the much higher levels of purity required to make an atomic bomb.

Iran insists it nuclear programme is aimed solely at generating electricity.

Government newspaper Iran carried a report on Sunday in which it quoted experts as saying some of Iran's enriched uranium could be stored within the borders of the Islamic republic under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the fuel exchange process.

"Some experts affirm that while waiting for 20 percent fuel to be made (by a third country), Iranian uranium (enriched at 3.5 percent) be stored inside Iran under IAEA control before being sent abroad," the paper said.

It quoted the unnamed experts as saying that Iran needs "116 kilos of uranium enriched at 20 percent (for its Tehran reactor) and to match that quantity, 800 kilos of uranium enriched at 3.5 percent are needed and could be shipped abroad in two phases."

The newspaper said such a deal could allay the concerns of the various parties.

"A first shipment of 60 kilos of uranium enriched at 20 percent could be sent to Iran, which will deliver simultaneously 400 kilos of uranium enriched at 3.5 percent," the report said.

"An extra 400 kilos of uranium enriched at 3.5 percent would be shipped abroad 15 months later in exchange for 60 kilos of fuel, in line with the IAEA proposals," the newspaper added.

A spokesman for the IAEA said on Saturday that they were "still waiting for the formal response" from Iran's envoy to the UN atomic watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh.

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