Iran wants to continue nuclear talks with EU

UNITED NATIONS, Friday (Reuters) - Iran wants to continue talks with the European Union on Tehran's nuclear program if there is a good chance of resolving the standoff, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said.

"We will continue negotiations with the European side provided it will lead us somewhere tangible in a matter of time," he told reporters after a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In a deal reached with Britain, Germany and France in November, Tehran agreed to suspend all nuclear fuel-related activities while both sides tried to negotiate a long-term solution on Iran's atomic ambitions.

But Iran, unhappy with the slow pace of talks with the European Union, said it would resume some work related to enrichment, a process of purifying uranium to use in nuclear power plants or atomic weapons.

Kharrazi's comments on the sidelines of a U.N.-sponsored conference on nuclear disarmament appeared to be an attempt to console the EU's three biggest powers, which are worried talks with the Iranians are on the verge of collapse.

Diplomats said no new EU-Iran meeting had been scheduled.