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Beijing: Chinese President Hu Jintao has told his Iranian counterpart that flexibility from all parties was necessary for a peaceful resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.
In a meeting on Saturday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, Hu said China respects Iran's right to peaceful energy and is pushing for a resolution to the problem.
The official Xinhua News Agency is quoting Hu as saying that he hoped that all parties would "seize the opportunity and show flexibility." The meeting came a week after Iran announced it had increased the number of operating centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant to 4,000.
The United Nations has already imposed three rounds of sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to freeze its enrichment programme.
Ahmadinejad is on a rare visit to China.
Hu said, in welcoming words to Ahmadinejad at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, that the two would discuss Sino-Iranian relations, among other issues.
'Exchange opinions'
"I would like to further exchange opinions with you, Mr President, about issues like Sino-Iranian relations," Hu told the Iranian President.
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you and other Iranian leaders for the assistance your government provided for the Chinese people affected by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake," Hu said, according to state media.
"Both China and Iran are big developing nations ... and [there is] great potential of cooperation," he added, according to Xinhua news agency.
China is involved in multilateral talks with the US, Britain, France, Germany and Russia, aimed at urging Iran to end its uranium enrichment activities in a long-standing dispute over Iran's nuclear programmes.
Iran and China are close allies, with Iran's vast oil and gas resources feeding China's growing energy demand. China is also one of the biggest exporters to Iran.
However, relations soured when China voted in March for a UN Security Council resolution to tighten sanctions on Iran.
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