International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohammad ElBaradei opens the board meeting at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

VIENNA, Aug. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday that Iran's nuclear issue can only be solved through consultations, and that he hoped the European Union (EU) and Iran could restart their nuclear talks.

    Before Tuesday's IAEA emergency meeting on Iran's nuclear programs, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters that the meeting will discuss the latest report presented by the IAEA's inspectors on Iran's resumption of uranium conversion activities.

    Iran and the international community have made some progress inbuilding mutual trust, said ElBaradei. He urged Teheran to "continue to work with Europe on a long-term framework agreement by which Iran's relationship with the West would be normalized."

    "I'd hope this is simply a hiccup in the process and not a permanent rupture," he said, adding that "we have made a very goodprogress in the last couple of years with regard to clarifying Iran's past nuclear activities."

    ElBaradei called on the EU and Iran to maintain maximum restraint and refrain from taking unilateral actions. He also appealed to Iran to rethink its decision to resume uranium conversion.

    Iran on Saturday rejected a package of EU economic and political incentives presented by Britain, France and Germany, and on Monday, it resumed some uranium conversion activities at its nuclear facility in the central city of Isfahan.

    The IAEA emergency meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, was postponed to Tuesday afternoon as EU diplomats need more time to discuss the terms of a draft resolution on Iran's nuclear programs.

    Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday that the EU would change the text of the resolution to include "more severe" terms.

    An Iranian diplomat said the Europeans had asked Iran to continue its suspension of uranium enrichment activities in the previous draft presented to the IAEA earlier in the day.

    The EU announced the decision of changing the text of the resolution "following receiving the latest news on Iran's move in fully resuming activities at Isfahan uranium conversion plant," hesaid.

    Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday promised to put forward new initiatives on the escalating nuclear standoff with the West.

    Ahmadinejad told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a telephoneconversation that Iran was "ready to proceed" with nuclear talks with the EU and pledged that he would put forward new initiatives in this respect after forming his cabinet.

    The new president also appealed to Annan to help secure Iran's nuclear rights.

    Though Teheran insisted the resumption of activity at uranium conversion facilities should not be viewed as a move to close the door to negotiations, it still prompted stern warnings from the EU.

    Russia on Tuesday called on Iran to immediately halt uranium conversion activities and continue its cooperation with the IAEA.

    France, a member of the trio of European negotiators, said Tuesday that it is still possible to negotiate with Iran on its nuclear activities.

    "We are hoping that we can find a joint solution to keep the positive spirit of the Paris accords," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, referring to a November 2004 agreement between Iran and the EU trio of France, Britain and Germany.

    If Iran fails to respond to the EU warning, the matter will eventually be referred to the UN Security Council, which could impose economic sanctions, European diplomats said.

    But the diplomats said the IAEA was likely to continue to pressIran to stop the conversion work, rather than to pass a resolution referring Iran's case to the UN Security Council. Enditem