Solana hopes for Iran nuclear negotiations soon

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana addresses the European Parliament in Brussels March 29, 2007.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called on Thursday for early steps by Iran to resolve the stand-off with Britain over detained British navy personnel and to restart nuclear negotiations.

"It is to be hoped that in the next few days and weeks we shall be able, with the leaders of Iran, to solve not only the problems with Britain over the service personnel but begin negotiations to reach a definitive solution to this (nuclear) problem," he told the European Parliament.

Solana said he spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at an Arab League summit in Riyadh on Wednesday and stressed the European Union as a whole found the detention of the British sailors captured in the Gulf unacceptable.

Solana led four months of fruitless talks with Iran last year in a bid to persuade it to halt uranium enrichment in return for a package of technical, economic and political incentives.

The West suspects Iran of seeking the atom bomb, something Tehran rejects.

Solana has contacted Tehran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani to relaunch the offer of formal negotiations despite the passage of a second U.N. Security Council resolution on Saturday paving the way for more sanctions against Iran.

"I passed that clear message and I think he (Larijani) clearly understood it," he said. Solana aides have said the two did not discuss the substance of the dispute but agreed to contact each other again shortly.