China said on Tuesday the Iranian nuclear standoff could still be defused through negotiations without a showdown in the United Nations, and urged countries to intensify efforts for a diplomatic compromise. China voted for an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution on Iran because it believed that decision would encourage further talks. "The Iranian nuclear issue should be appropriately resolved through diplomatic negotiations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told reporters in Beijing. "We still hope that this kind of resolution will help promote diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue within the framework of the IAEA." The IAEA decision made on Feb. 4 calls for its chief Mohamed ElBaradei to report to it by March 6 on Iran's response to demands that it suspend nuclear enrichment activities and improve cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. ElBaradei may send his report to the Security Council after the IAEA meeting in early March, Reuters reported.
