China again urges diplomacy to solve Iran crisis

Beijing, Mar 1: China repeated its position today that Iran's nuclear standoff should be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation.

Iran had said on Tuesday it would never suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the West, a day after world powers agreed to work on a new UN resolution to pressure Tehran to back down over its nuclear programme.

''Concerning the Iran nuclear issue, China has always advocated peaceful resolution through diplomatic negotiation,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference.

''Under present circumstances, we hope that Iran can positively respond to the concerns of the international community and UN Security Council resolution 1737.'' That resolution on December 23 gave Iran 60 days to comply with limits on its uranium enrichment or face possible sanctions.

Officials from the five permanent UN Security Council members -- the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain -- plus Germany, who met in London on Monday, also said they were committed to a negotiated resolution to the standoff.

Reuters

Related Stories