Foreign ministers from over 40 European and Asian nations on Tuesday stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear issue and urged Iran to stop nuclear enrichment.

The Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers urged Iran to comply with the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 1747 and to suspend its enrichment related activities.

The meeting meanwhile stressed the urgent need for a diplomatic solution and a comprehensive arrangement with Iran while respecting Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy under safeguards and in accordance with its obligations under the Non- Proliferation Treaty.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana confirmed on Tuesday that he would meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

"Everything is on course," Solana told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEM meeting in Hamburg.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Sunday that Solana and Larijani would meet on Thursday in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

In late April, Larijani and Solana held two rounds of talks in the Turkish capital of Ankara over Iran's uranium enrichment program.

After their meetings, the two negotiators told reporters that they had made progress in their talks.

On March 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

Iran has refused to heed the Security Council's demand, insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

However, the United States and some other Western countries have been accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear program.

Source: Xinhua