China urges renewed talks on Iran nuclear crisis

BEIJING, Mar 5 (Reuters) Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing urged Iran on Sunday to resume negotiations with the European Union on its nuclear crisis as soon as possible and said the priority was to resolve the standoff peacefully.

''China hopes Iran can as soon as possible resume negotiations with the European Union and negotiations with Russia,'' he said on the sidelines of China's annual parliament session.

''The important thing is to peacefully and properly resolve the problem through diplomatic means,'' he said.

The United Nations' atomic watchdog convenes on Monday for a meeting that may lead to Security Council action over fears Tehran is seeking nuclear bombs.

Reuters PG VP1022