A Chinese senior official said Saturday it is in the interest of all parties to peacefully resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through talks within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Zhang Yan, China's permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, made the remarks after the UN nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution setting a Nov. 25 deadline for Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program.

The resolution, adopted at a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors, does not call on the board to report Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council, as the United States had strongly demanded. But the document says the agency will decide in November on whether Iran has fully met its demands and see if any further actions are needed.

Non-aligned countries have been bitterly opposed to the resolution, submitted by Britain, France and Germany, as they believe imposing a deadline on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment program would go beyond the IAEA's mandate of monitoring compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The Chinese representative said Iran's nuclear issue should and is completely able to be resolved within the IAEA's framework through dialogue, and China is opposed to referring Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

Zhang called on all parties to exercise restraint, be patient and continue cooperation so that the efforts already made will not end in vain.

China hopes that Iran will continue to fully cooperate with the IAEA, fulfill its obligations, clear up unresolved issues and ratify the NPT protocol at an early date, Zhang said.

Meanwhile, Zhang noted that the international community should respect Iran's reasonable concerns and legitimate right with regard to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Enriched uranium can be used either to generate electricity or to make nuclear bombs. Under its obligations to the NPT, Iran is not barred from enrichment.

Iran denied the US allegation that it has been developing nuclear weapons program, saying its uranium enrichment project is only for peaceful purposes.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2004)