Tehran, June 12, SPA -- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, front-runner in Friday's presidential election, has said Iran must pursue confidence-building measures to reassure the West it is pursuing solely peaceful nuclear program. Tehran has suspended its uranium enrichment programme under a November deal with France, Britain and Germany. "Right now, our policy has focused on convincing Western countries and even America that our nuclear programme is solely peaceful," Rafsanjani told reporters late on Saturday. "The most important issue is building confidence. We are determined to build confidence," he declared, without saying if he would change Iran's nuclear policy if he wins the election. Rafsanjani, widely seen in Iran as the man with the best chance of repairing ties with the United States, hinted he could gain the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on state policy. "Regarding nuclear and other issues (U.S. relations), I believe I am the closest person to the leader," he said. "We have been intimates for over 50 years. Our ideas are so close that we will never have any disputes," Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by Reuters. --SPA 1531 Local Time 1231 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/269297