China wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment, return to diplomacy

China on Tuesday urged Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities and solve the international dispute over the matter through diplomacy.

Photo: China wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment, return to diplomacy

"We hope Iran can restore its moratorium on all activities related to uranium enrichment and create the conditions for the solution of the nuclear issue through negotiations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular news briefing.

Enrichment is a process that can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or material for a warhead.

Liu also said that Beijing hoped discussions between Iran and Russia on the issue would yield results.

Hours later, Russian media reported that the Iran-Russia talks, which began Monday in Moscow , had ended.

Iranian and Russian officials had been discussing a proposal to allow Iran 's uranium to be enriched on Russian soil in an effort to assure the international community that the material is not diverted for weapons use.

Russia 's proposal is widely seen as Tehran 's last chance to avoid sanctions over suspicions it has a covert nuclear weapons program.

Iran 's top negotiator at talks, Ali Hosseinitash, called the Moscow meeting's outcome "positive" as he left for Tehran on Tuesday, Russia 's Interfax news agency reported.

However, Iranian officials have rejected Russia 's demands that Iran restore a freeze on uranium enrichment it broke last month and insist on the country's right to produce nuclear fuel domestically.

Media have reported that China and Iran are close to setting plans to develop Iran 's Yadavaran oil field, a multibillion-dollar (euro) deal that would complete a memorandum of understanding signed in 2004, reports the AP.

D.M.