Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi[/caption]Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reiterated his countrys stance on the need for a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the standoff over Irans nuclear energy program.
Addressing the general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, Wang said that Beijing had been working to find a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
China has played a constructive role in seeking a comprehensive, lasting and appropriate solution to the Iranian nuclear issue so as to uphold the international non-proliferation regime and peace and stability in the Middle East, he said.
The Chinese minister emphasized that the Thursday talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany has created new opportunities.
All relevant parties should scale up diplomatic efforts and work for substantive progress in the dialogue at an early date, he added.
Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his counterparts from six major world powers - China, Russia, France, Britain, the US and Germany - held discussions about the Western dispute with Iran over its civilian nuclear work in New York on Thursday.
The Iranian foreign minister praised the talks as very good and substantive and said the result would have to include a total lifting of all sanctions against Iran.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also said on Thursday that Washington could begin removing bans on Tehran within months if a transparent process is in place over Irans nuclear energy program.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of the six world powers involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran, China has always supported the Islamic Republics right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and stressed that negotiations are the right approach to addressing the dispute.
The West, led by the United States, accuses Iran of following non-civilian purposes in its nuclear energy program.
Iran has vehemently rejected the allegation, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
By Press TV
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