Iran talks likely to be held in Turkey, EU's Solana says

Sep 15, 2009, 8:00 GMT

Brussels - October 1 talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will likely take place in Turkey, the European Union's top diplomat said Tuesday.

'It has not yet been decided, but (the talks will) very likely take place in Turkey,' EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.

Turkey has emerged as a major mediator in the Middle East, hosting key talks between Israel and Syria in the last year.

The meeting between Iran and the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany (commonly referred to as the '5+1' or '3+3') will focus on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

It will provide a first opportunity for direct talks between the administration of Barack Obama and the Iranian government since the US president offered to talk to Tehran upon assuming office in January.

Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Solana said that the European bloc would continue in its 'double-track' approach of dialogue and the threat of sanctions with Iran.

'It is not the first time that we meet, we know each other well,' Solana said. However, this time 'the Americans will be formally present. This is new, and I think it should be evaluated positively by the Iranians.'

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said the bloc would not discuss the possibility of imposing sanctions for the time being.

'The focus now is on the October 1 meeting,' Bildt said, adding however that he did not expect any solutions to come out of those talks.