European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana will meet Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Vienna today to discuss Tehran's reply to an international offer of incentives to halt uranium enrichment, Mr Solana's spokeswoman said.
The meeting, which had been unsure to go ahead and whose location had not been confirmed, would take place at 5pm local time (4pm Irish time), the spokeswoman said.
Mr Solana will want Mr Larijani to clarify hints, made in Iran's August 22nd reply to an offer from six big powers of incentives to halt its nuclear fuel programme, that Tehran could curb enrichment activity if engaged in negotiations.
But a diplomat familiar with Tehran's position said Mr Larijani was likely to again rule out the powers' precondition that enrichment be suspended indefinitely. He said looming Security Council action was only poisoning prospects for agreement.
The Solana-Larijani encounter was originally slated for Wednesday but postponed at the last minute.
Meanwhile Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said that putting sanctions or pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme was "not necessarily" a peaceful solution to the issue. But speaking after a China-EU summit, he reiterated his government's call for Iran to "take seriously" international concerns over the programme.