Beijing welcomes the US proposal to hold direct nuclear negotiations with Teheran and its stance on resolving the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic means, President Hu Jintao said last night.

He made the remark during a telephone conversation with his US counterpart George W. Bush.

China holds that the international non-proliferation system should be maintained and the Iran nuclear issue resolved peacefully through diplomatic means, he said.

"China is ready to contact and co-ordinate with the United States, and play a constructive role in resuming the negotiations soon," he said.

Bush told Hu that Washington is determined to resolve the issue through diplomatic means.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that Washington would join three European countries in talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear ambitions if Teheran suspends uranium enrichment activities.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing that ending the standoff through political negotiations is in the interests of both China and other countries.

He noted that China pursues no selfish interests in calling for a peaceful settlement although it co-operates with Iran in the energy field.

Iran yesterday spurned the US offer.

"We will not give up our nation's natural right (to enrichment), we will not hold talks over it," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

Senior representatives from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany met in Vienna yesterday to discuss the issue with Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo attending the meeting.

Russia said the US gesture presented "a real chance" to ease the crisis and urged Teheran to grasp it. "We call on Iran to respond constructively," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

European officials and nuclear analysts also welcomed the initiative, saying US engagement could address security issues many say is spurring Teheran's pursuit of nuclear bomb potential.

Source: China Daily/agencies