ROME - Iranian negotiators and the EU hope for more talks on Iran's nuclear programme in coming weeks after a "constructive" meeting on Tuesday, despite a warning by Iran's president that his country would not retreat "one iota".
The first meeting with Western diplomats for Iran's newly-appointed chief negotiator Saeed Jalili was overshadowed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rejection of calls to suspend uranium enrichment -- the key demand of the U.N. Security Council.
Iran's refusal to halt work that can be used to make fuel for power plants or, if it wants, material for warheads, has prompted two sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The West fears Iran's nuclear programme could be aimed at making bombs.
Jalili, accompanied by his predecessor Ali Larijani to the talks with European Union diplomatic chief Javier Solana, said Tehran supported dialogue with the West and saw the talks as an opportunity to forge better ties with Europe.
"The basic principle of the Islamic Republic of Iran is dialogue and cooperation -- the course that our dear brother Dr. Larijani has travelled with in the past two years," Jalili told a joint news conference with Larijani and Solana.
"The meeting of today has been constructive," said Solana, adding that it was "very likely we will have the opportunity of meeting again before the end of the month of November".
World powers have agreed to delay further penalties on Iran at least until November to see if Iran cooperates with U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, and to await a report by Solana.
Solana's mandate is to explore the scope for entering formal negotiations with Iran on international requests that it halt sensitive nuclear activities.
"RIGHT TO NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY"
