China, U.S. call on Iran to "engage constructively" with P5+1

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States on Tuesday called on Iran to "engage constructively" with the P5+1 and to "cooperate fully" with the IAEA to facilitate a satisfactory outcome.

The call was made in a joint statement issued here after talks between Chinese President Hu Jintao and visiting U.S. President Barack Obama.

The two sides reaffirmed their strong support for a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiations.

"The two sides agreed that Iran has the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and it should fulfill its due international obligations under that treaty," said the statement.

The two sides welcomed the talks in Geneva on Oct. 1 between the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) and Iran as "a promising start" towards addressing international concerns about Iran's nuclear program, and expressed their readiness to continue that engagement as soon as possible.

They emphasized in the joint statement that all efforts should be made to take confidence building steps and to call on Iran to respond positively to the proposal of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).