Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

    BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Lu Guozeng will pay a working visit to Iran for political consultations from Feb. 24 to 26, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao announced here Thursday.

    The two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral relations, Iran nuclear standoff and other issues of common concern.

    During the visit, he said, the two sides will discuss how to ease the crisis under the current circumstances and what measures to take to avoid intensification of the issue so as to finally resolve the issue through negotiations and dialogues.

    The Chinese side hopes that the parties concerned would keep restraint and patience, and create conditions for the resumption of talks given that there is still room for solving the issue within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the spokesman said.

    Iran is an important country in the region, Liu said, both sides will also have an exchange of views on regional and international issues of common concern during the visit.

    Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Wednesday at a press conference together with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier that "the days before the March 6 meeting of the IAEA are crucial."

    Li said China hopes Iran's nuclear issue would be properly solved through diplomatic means.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the talks with Iran on its nuclear issue were proving to be tough going but Russia remains optimistic about a positive result.

    The Russian proposal to create a uranium enrichment joint venture on its territory should be "acceptable for Iran and may beused to settle the issue," he said.

    Russia and Iran on Tuesday wrapped up two days of talks on Moscow's proposal. An Iranian top negotiator labeled the negotiations as "constructive and positive," adding that certain elements of the discussion gave hope that an agreement might be reached.

    The Russian plan is seen as a crucial attempt to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program before the March 6 meeting of the IAEA, which reports say could start a process leading to UN punishment against Iran.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry said after the talks on Tuesday that Moscow had underlined the need for comprehensive cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, which will clarify the remaining questions about the country's earlier nuclear activities and restore confidence in its nuclear program.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, quoted by the Itar-Tassnews agency, said he "would be cautious about using the terms 'failure' or 'setback' to describe the results of the talks beforethey end."

    Before the talks started, Lavrov expressed cautious optimism, saying Russia had "reserved expectations" over the negotiations.

    With no clear sign of a breakthrough, Russia and Iran are set to be engaged in more talks later this week. The head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, will travel to Iran on Thursday.

    "Russia will do its best to offer Iran a possible peaceful way out of the situation," Kiriyenko said.

    The United States accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons and the EU also holds that Iran's full mastery of nuclear fuel cycle technology would possibly lead to military usage.

    Iran, however, rejects the allegation as politically motivated, insisting that its nuclear program is fully peaceful and aimed at meeting rising domestic demand for electricity.

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