Iran impasse: Hu for further diplomacy

At present, the Iran nuclear issue is faced with a rare opportunity for the resumption of talks, and we hope all parties concerned could seize the opportunity and show flexibility, to push for a peaceful settlement of the issue, the agency quoted Hu as saying. China, as always, will be committed to pushing for the settlement of the issue through peaceful negotiations, Hu said.

China is among six world powers pressuring Iran to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for power plants, or potentially, nuclear weapons.

Iran faces a fourth round of sanctions after failing to respond to a sweetened offer of incentives by France, Britain, Germany, the US, Russia and China to halt its uranium enrichment.

Ahmadinejad told Hu that he hoped a solution acceptable to all parties could be found and that the Iranian side is willing to keep exchanges with the Chinese side, according to Xinhua.