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Beijing to help defuse standoff

VIENNA: China's Foreign Minister said on Friday his country was committed to working with the international community to defuse the standoff over Iran's suspect nuclear programme.

``China is very concerned about the Iranian nuclear issue,'' Li Zhaoxing told reporters after meeting with top European Union officials in Vienna.

He did not explicitly say China would vote to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council, but E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he had assurances that China would support the referral.

``We are going to vote together on the issue,'' Mr. Solana said.

Talks ruled out

He said talks between the E.U. and the Teheran regime would not resume until Iran ``goes back to the position that it broke,'' a reference to international demands for Iran to again freeze activity related to uranium enrichment.

Mr. Li said China hoped that talks between Iran and the so-called E.U.-3 — Britain, France and Germany — would resume, but said Iran ``must adhere to the commitments it has made.'' He spoke as the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors prepared to resume a meeting to decide whether to refer Iran to the Council, which has the authority to impose sanctions.

``China will work together with the international community'' to resolve the crisis, Mr. Li said, describing it as ``very complicated and highly sensitive.'' — AP

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