Iran, EU to hold atomic talks in Turkey

Tehran: Iran and the European Union will resume talks in Turkey on Tehran's nuclear programme, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic bomb, the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars, reported on Monday.

"Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana have agreed to hold atomic talks in Turkey on Wednesday," an unnamed official told Fars.

The official said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had talks with Larijani and Solana in the past days over the issue.

It will be Solana and Larijani's first such meeting since the United Nations passed fresh sanctions on Iran in March after Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment work.

Iran expressed hope on Sunday that talks with Solana could lead to a solution of its nuclear row, adding Tehran would not yield to international pressure to abandon its nuclear work.

Iran says its aim is to generate electricity.