NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh met the Iranian Ambassador Siyavash Zargar Yaghoubi on Saturday and discussed bilateral relations, regional issues and international security issues with him.

According to the Ministry spokesman, Mr. Singh met the Ambassador at the latter's request and the meeting lasted about an hour.

IAEA vote

It is learnt that Mr. Singh and Mr. Yaghoubi talked about the situation after the vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran. Future cooperation between the two nations on the nuclear issue also figured in the discussions.

According to official sources, New Delhi is keen on the European Union and Iran holding discussions again to reduce the possibility of a confrontation between the two sides.

India's stand after its September 24 vote against Teheran has been that its position helped in keeping the Iranian nuclear issue within the IAEA framework.

Explanation of vote

In its explanation of the vote, India joined issue with the resolution that Iran was not in compliance with the statute of the agency.

"It would also not be accurate to characterise the current situation as a threat to international peace and security," the explanation stated. India had also welcomed the cooperation Iran had been extending to the IAEA to enable it to fulfil its mandate.

"Iran has, at the highest level, declared that it does not aspire to acquire nuclear weapons capability... Iran has the inalienable right to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy programme and we must respect that right. We are confident that in the coming days, we would be able to find a way to reconcile Iran's need for nuclear energy for its development with the international community's concern over proliferation."

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