China calls on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment

BEIJING (Reuters) - Iran should suspend all uranium enrichment, China said on Tuesday, as Russian and Iranian nuclear negotiators were to hold a second day of talks to try to strike a deal to ease international concerns that Tehran wants a nuclear bomb.

"We support Iran and Russia holding nuclear negotiations and we hope the negotiations can achieve positive results," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news conference.

"Given current developments, China hopes Iran will restore suspension of all activities relating to uranium enrichment and create the conditions for appropriately resolving the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful negotiations."

Iran and Russia are discussing a Russian offer to enrich uranium for Iranian power plants on its own soil -- seen by some as the last chance to defuse the row over Iran's nuclear ambitions before Western governments seek sanctions.