Room still exists for resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute within the ambit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Wu Hailong, chief of the Chinese delegation said yesterday.

Wu said this after China voted for the resolution, submitted by France, Germany and the UK, which was recently adopted by IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.

"At present, there is, we believe, still room for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue within the framework of the IAEA," he said.

The international atomic watchdog had earlier decided to report the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

"The relevant provisions pertaining to reporting to the UN Security Council contained in the just-adopted resolution, as we understand it, shall not be construed as an exercise based on Article 12C or Article 3B of the statute of the agency," Wu added.

"On the contrary," he said, "the very purpose of this exercise is to enable the IAEA to better address the issue."

"It is with this understanding that the Chinese delegation voted in favor of the resolution," he pointed out.

China has all along stood for an early and proper resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue "through negotiation and by diplomatic means," and it will continue to do so in the future, Wu said while addressing the extraordinary meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.

China hopes the result of this special session will facilitate achieving that goal and mitigate current difficulties in the negotiation process, he added.

"In this context, China calls on all relevant parties to exercise restraint and patience at this very moment and refrain from taking any action that might further complicate or deteriorate the situation," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, the extraordinary meeting of IAEA's 35-member Board of Governors voted with 27 in favor, 3 against and 5 in abstention. The resolution requests the IAEA chief to report the issue to the UN Security Council.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2006)