Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday his government does not need a nuclear weapon and is open to negotiations on suspending nuclear activities. But Ahmadinejad said the talks would have to come under what he called “fair conditions.”

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: “We want guarantees. So we have therefore offered a framework and we are negotiating within that framework. And we believe that those negotiations are moving on the right track. Unless, hopefully, others will not disrupt the work, in small ways, perhaps–we think this is a constructive path to take.”

Ahmadinejad spoke as he wrapped up his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. The Bush administration agreed this week to extend Iran’s deadline to halt uranium enrichment to early next month.