Iran and the European Union will begin comprehensive talks on Iran's nuclear activities and other topics of mutual interest next week, state-run radio reported Saturday.

A steering committee will meet Monday in Brussels to decide the agenda of different groups on political, security, technology and nuclear issues, Siours Nasseri, a senior Iranian negotiator, told the radio.

Hassan Rowhani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, will later meet the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, as well as foreign policy chief Javier Solana in a joint session. The timing of that meeting was not clear.

"I think there would be a good chance to achieve progress in the talks if we manage to come up with the necessary guarantees," Nasseri said.

Last month, Iran reached an agreement with the three European nations to suspend its nuclear enrichment and related activities while negotiating a long-term settlement with the European Union on its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is monitoring the suspension.

The United States believes Iran has a secret program to build nuclear weapons and has been lobbying to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions. Iran has denied the allegations.

Iran hopes _ through negotiations with the EU _ to obtain European nuclear technology and economic aid. The Europeans have pushed Iran to declare a permanent halt to uranium enrichment, but Iran has repeatedly refused to comply.

Under the agreement with the three European nations, Iran is committed to provide objective guarantees that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

The European side is to provide firm guarantees on nuclear, technological and economic cooperation.

AP

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