Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani held talks in the Turkish capital Ankara on Wednesday with European Union foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana in another bid to find a diplomatic settlement to Iran's nuclear programme. On his arrival at the airport, Larijani declined to comment on the prospects for an outcome in the talks. On Tuesday he was quoted in Iran's press as saying Iran wanted "serious talks" and not "diplomatic games." Larijani met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for lunch on Wednesday before meeting Solana at a hotel in Ankara. Larijani and Solana are scheduled to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who was on Tuesday named as the ruling party candidate for the presidency, for breakfast on Thursday. A press conference is expected after the breakfast meeting. The EU is currently engaged in a two-track bid to defuse the nuclear dispute with Iran. While backing Solana's meeting with Larijani, the bloc's foreign ministers Monday also agreed tougher sanctions against Tehran. Larijani was accompanied by Javad Vaeidi, a deputy in the National Security Council, Mohammad Saeidi, deputy chief of Iranian Atomic Energy Organization and Abbas Araqchi, deputy foreign minister.
