China urges Iran to cooperate with IAEA, resume dialogue

Mar 6, 2007, 12:27 GMT

Beijing - Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Tuesday urged Iran to increase cooperation with international nuclear inspectors and resume dialogue on its nuclear programme.

'We welcome, support and also call upon Iran to step up its cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),' Li told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's annual parliament.

Li reiterated China's position that the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme should be resolved through negotiation, and urged Iran to comply with UN resolutions.

'Any actions taken by the United Nations should be conducive to the promotion of regional stability,' he said, amid expectations that the UN Security Council will adopt a new resolution imposing financial sanctions on Iran.

Li also said he hoped Iran would resume stalled talks on its nuclear programme with the European Union and Russia.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Tuesday warned that any military measures against Iran would 'not be effective but on the contrary just make us more decisive'.

Iran still sees negotiations as the best option for settling the dispute over its controversial nuclear programme and remains ready for talks, the ISNA news agency quoted Larijani as telling Iranian diplomats.

Iran rejects the main demand by the international community that it suspend uranium enrichment.

It rejected last December's UN Security Council resolution 1737, which obliged it to suspend its enrichment programme.