Britain prefers dialogue in Iran's nuclear issue: official

AMMAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Britain prefers dialogue to military solutions in dealing with the Iranian nuclear file, a senior British official said Tuesday.

In a press conference in the Jordanian capital of Amman, Ivan Lewis, British minister of state responsible for the Middle East, said his country prefers resorting to dialogue in dealing with the Iran's nuclear issue.

"Sanctions will be imposed on Iran in case it does not commit to the international resolutions," the British official said following a meeting with Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh.

The British official said if Iran possesses nuclear weapons there will be instability and chaos in the region, a matter that will also lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned in a press conference in Amman that Iran's nuclear ambitions may spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and Iran's move to increase uranium enrichment may cause further " instability in the region."

At the meeting on Tuesday, Judeh and Lewis also underlined the urgency to restart serious and effective Palestinian-Israeli peace talks to end the decade-long conflict.

"We all have to exert our efforts to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis to the table of negotiations under the patronage of the United States and with the support of the European Union and the Arab League," Lewis said after the meeting, stressing the need not to waste the opportunity at hand to attain regional peace.