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Iran, EU head for nuclear middle ground in Turkey

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani arrived in Turkey yesterday for two days of talks on the Iranian nuclear program with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The Iranian official told reporters the talks with Solana aimed to evaluate new ideas that might be put on the table to end the stand-off over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the agency said.

Stressing that he did not know what sort of proposals might be made, Larijani refused to forecast the outcome of the Ankara talks.

Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday that the US, Europe, Russia and China were ready to give Iran a chance to edge its way slowly into halting uranium enrichment in a compromise gesture to get nuclear talks started.

Larijani recalled that he had held several rounds of talks with Solana in the recent past, and added: "But then, some unacceptable, irrational conditions were put forward."

He said Tehran abided by the norms of the International Atomic Energy Agency and described the current stand-off as "political."

The Iranian official was scheduled to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for lunch before talks with Solana at an Ankara hotel late yesterday.

Larijani and Solana were scheduled to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul -- who has just been named the ruling party candidate for the Turkish presidency -- at breakfast today, after which they are expected to make a joint statement.

The two men will also hold talks with Yigit Alpogan, the head of the National Security Council, Turkey's top advisory board.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Larijani was accompanied by his deputy Javad Vaidi, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the deputy head of Iran's nuclear organization, Mohammad Saeedi.

Larijani and Solana will see if it is possible to reopen negotiations seeking to end a five-year standoff that has raised tensions between Iran and the West and seen Tehran slapped with two sets of UN sanctions.

Iran has dampened hopes of a breakthrough ahead of the talks by insisting it has no intention of yielding to the West's key demand to quit uranium enrichment.

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