China urges Iran to work closely with int'l community
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
China has told Iranian leaders that it supports Iran's right to nuclear energy for peaceful uses, but wants Tehran to allay international suspicions about its atomic program, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The message - delivered this week by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on a trip to Tehran - shows how split the UN Security Council remains over Iran's uranium enrichment program. While the United States and European countries want China to take a harder line, Tehran is counting on support from China and Russia to block new UN sanctions.
"Foreign Minister Yang said that China believes Iran has the right to peacefully use nuclear energy," ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular press briefing.