Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Wednesday said his country supported efforts to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program through negotiations.

Talking to Ali Larijani, Iran's secretary to the Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator, Aziz said Pakistan wanted that the issue should be resolved peacefully with the efforts of the European Union troika, that is, Britian, France and Germany.

"Pakistan is against the nuclear proliferation but at the same time supports that every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) regulations," Aziz said.

Larijani briefed Aziz on Iran's point of view over the nuclear issue and appreciated Pakistan's support in this regard.

During the meeting, Aziz disclosed that Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf would meet his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York and would discuss bilateral issues.

He said Pakistan and Iran had deep-rooted cultural and friendly ties and had stood by each other and faced challenges together.

Aziz said Pakistan was committed to the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project originating from Iran and was also exploring other options to import gas from Turkmanistan and Qatar to meet its growing energy needs.

Larijani, who arrived in Islamabad early Wednesday to seek Pakistan's support for the continuation of Iran's nuclear program, appreciated Islamabad's position on the Iranian nuclear issue and said both countries had common views on the issue.

Talking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Aziz in Islamabad, Larijani also reiterated Iran's position on its nuclear issue.

"Iran wants to promote peaceful use of nuclear energy under the IAEA rules and regulations," Larijani said, but asserted that these rules should be implemented judiciously and without any discrimination.

"Iran is fully prepared to remove apprehensions regarding its peaceful nuclear program," he said, adding that Iran was interested to resolve the issue through negotiations.

Larijani's visit took place ahead of a crucial IAEA Board of Governors' meeting in Vienna on Sept. 19 that could refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council.

Tehran last month rejected economic and other incentives offered by Britain, France and Germany, which were negotiating on behalf of the European Union, and resumed uranium conversion.

US and European resolve to bring Iran before the UN Security Council grew Saturday following revelations in an IAEA document that Tehran had recently produced about seven tons of the gas it needed to enrich uranium.

Enriched uranium could be used either as a source of power or as the core of nuclear weapons, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The confidential IAEA document, prepared Friday by agency head Mohamed ElBaradei, did not make a determination whether Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Source: Xinhua