Larijani insists talks can end nuke row

Munich: Iran insisted on Saturday that a dispute with the West over its nuclear programme could be resolved by negotiation as its chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Germany for meetings with European officials.

But European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana played down chances of a breakthrough at a planned meeting today with the negotiator, Ali Larijani, saying at most it could launch new efforts to resolve the stand-off.

"We believe the Iranian nuclear dossier is resolvable by negotiation," Larijani said on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich.

"We've had constructive talks with Solana in the past and we believe that had we continued, we could have come to a positive conclusion," he said of earlier diplomacy shelved amid Western frustration at Iran's refusal to halt nuclear work.

Breathing space

The German Foreign Ministry said the Munich talks with Larijani had been arranged with an eye at a February 21 UN Security Council deadline for Iran to stop enriching uranium for nuclear fuel or risk broader financial sanctions.

Asked whether he believed some understanding could be reached before then, Larijani said through an interpreter: "Still we have time. Talks are under way."

UN officials have said they hope the planned meeting with Solana will allow some breathing space in the crisis but the EU official cautioned against over-optimism.

"I don't think tomorrow will be the day, only the beginning, if anything." Solana said.