On the eve of a crucial new round of nuclear talks, Iran predicts fifty-fifty chances for the negotiations to bear fruits as the European Union (EU) moderates its stance by calling for continuation of the ongoing talks.

Hossein Mousavian, aide to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani, said on Tuesday in Brussels that there were fifty- fifty chances for Wednesday's meeting with the EU in Geneva to yield positive results after holding "extremely complicated" rehearsal talks with European officials in preparation for the negotiations.

"The foreign ministers have to decide tomorrow and the chances for tomorrow's meeting is fifty-fifty," Mousavian told Iran's official IRNA news agency.

"We have to wait and see how it goes tomorrow and we cannot now prejudge the outcome. We have worked very seriously for success but because of the complications of the process, we cannot say one hundred percent that we will have compromise tomorrow," he added.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said at home that Iran was still fixed on its previous stance and called on the EU to take positive steps to break the deadlock.

"The European side was not successful in taking determining and constructive steps to settle problems but Iran is still ready to remove the current stalemate," Kharazi said.

"Iran's stance is transparent. We call for removal of ongoing problems with regard to meeting our national interest," he stressed.

Kharazi's statement of "national interest" suggested that Tehran would not make compromise on the crux of the Iranian nuclear issue - the uranium enrichment activities - on which Europe called for a permanent and complete freeze but was vehemently rejected by Iran.

On the other hand, the EU seemed to moderate its stance by calling on the Islamic Republic to continue the negotiations, temporarily tabooing its previous demand of abandoning uranium enrichment.

"The Geneva talks are not viewed as a last ditch chance for reaching an agreement but they will pave the way for the next round of talks," a western diplomat told IRNA.

Senior officials from Iran and the EU trio of Britain, Germany and France will seek to reach an agreement in a bid to ensure the continuation of the negotiations, he added.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani arrived on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland for a critical meeting with foreign ministers of the European trio on Wednesday.

Tehran has warned that this round of ministerial talks is the last chance for the EU to save the deadlocked nuclear talks.

Impatient at the slow pace of progress in the negotiations, Tehran in late April threatened to resume uranium enrichment activities, which it suspended last November to pave the way for talks over its disputed nuclear program.

The European trio reacted by warning that it will back a US call for Iran's case to be referred to the UN Security Council if Tehran carries out the resumption.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has predicted that the upcoming talks will be very tough.

The EU shared US fear that Iran's enrichment activities could be used to develop nuclear weapons. But Tehran insisted that it would never give up legitimate right to enriching uranium which is intended to provide fuel for nuclear power plant.

Source: Xinhua