New York (CNN) -- The six world powers trying to negotiate with Iran say they want an early resumption of talks to resolve the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Wednesday with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany to discuss how to proceed with diplomatic dialogue with Iran and implementation of existing sanctions on Iran.
"We reaffirmed our determination and commitment to seek an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and focused our discussion on further practical steps to achieve it at an early date," the group, known as the "P5 plus one" -- the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany -- said in a statement. "We look forward to Iran's positive and constructive participation in this dialogue".
The international community charges Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Tehran says the program is purely for peaceful purposes.
Since the U.N. Security Council passed a tough round of sanctions against Tehran in June, the nations have repeatedly urged Iran to return to the negotiating table with little success.
Although Iran has signaled its willingness to resume talks, it has not responded to an offer by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, the intermediary with Iran, to set a date. A senior U.S. official briefing reporters after the meeting said the group was "committed to a diplomatic resolution and it remains to be seen whether the Iranians are".
CNN
