Solana met with Iran's former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who resigned as head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saturday, and his successor Saeed Jalili in the Italian capital for further negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. Western nations suspect it to be a secret weapons program, while Iran says it is only aimed to generate energy.
Larijani agreed with Solana in his appraisal of the talks, and Jalili reiterated Iran's readiness for dialogue.
"Negotiations can help consolidate cooperation between Europe and Iran," he said.
The UN Security Council has twice introduced sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. On August 21, Iran and the UN's nuclear watchdog agreed on a plan to resolve by the end of the year all outstanding questions the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has regarding the program.
Following these agreements, six international negotiators on Iran - five UN Security Council nations and Germany - postponed a decision on further sanctions against the Islamic Republic until late November. The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany agreed to vote on a third resolution on Iran after they receive reports from Solana and IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei.
During a news conference in Rome after his talks with Solana, Larijani commented on his resignation, which has been surrounded by speculation about differences with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the nuclear negotiations. Larijani denied the rumors and said his resignation was just routine staff rotation.
"A lot has been said about my resignation," he said. "I don't see any personal motives in it."
