China to host six-nation talks on Iran's nuclear issue

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei, officials from the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Germany are due to meet on April 16 in Shanghai to discuss a plan to restart negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

China always supports the peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, Jiang told the press conference, calling on the involving parties to show their creativity, flexibility in an effort to find appropriate ways for a "comprehensive and long-lasting settlement" of the nuclear issue.

The 15-member United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 on March 3, which included travel restrictions and bans for more Iranians, an expansion of asset freezes, curbs on dual-use nuclear items, export credit, financial monitoring, cargo inspections on aircraft and vessels, and possible "next steps."

The foreign ministers of the six countries issued a statement after the vote, saying that Resolution 1803 reflected "the international community's serious concerns about the proliferation risks of the Iranian nuclear program."

"We remain committed to an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and reaffirm our commitment to a dual-track approach," the statement said. "We remain ready to negotiate future arrangements, modalities and timing ... once the conditions for negotiations have been established."

"The meeting is aimed at further carrying out the consensus reached in statement by the six foreign ministers", Jiang added.