ANKARA, July 18: Iran is open to the idea of talks with the United States on establishing a diplomatic presence in Iran and launching a direct air link, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here on Friday.

He also welcomed as “positive” US participation in international talks in Geneva at the weekend on Tehran’s suspect nuclear programme and said he expected progress in the negotiations.

“In my opinion, talks and a deal on an American bureau in Iran and direct flights between Iran and the United States is possible,” Mottaki told reporters after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

He said Tehran knew through media reports of a US plan to open a diplomatic mission in Iran, the first such link between the two foes in nearly 30 years.

London’s Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday, without identifying its sources, that Washington would announce in the next month plans to establish an interests section staffed with diplomats in Iran, similar to its outpost in Cuba.

“In recent years, there are many people from the United States — students, academics, businessmen, artists — who want to visit Iran. We support such a development between the two peoples,” Mottaki said.

He said several US companies were already operating in Iran but refused to identify them “because of the delicacy of the issue.” Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 1980 after Islamist students stormed the US mission in Tehran and held its diplomats hostage for more than a year.

Mottaki was speaking ahead of Saturday’s talks in Geneva between Iran and six world powers on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme. In a major policy change for Washington, the talks will be attended by US Undersecretary of State William Burns.

The US participation is “a new positive approach,” the Iranian minister said.

“I hope this progress (in the negotiation format) will also reflect on the content of the talks,” he said. “If the negotiations continue in this way, I hope there will be a positive outcome.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who met US national Security adviser Stephen Hadley on Thursday before meeting Mottaki on Friday, also welcomed the US move.

“We believe a positive and constructive process has begun,” Erdogan told reporters here, adding that Ankara might be called on in the future to help facilitate dialogue between Iran and the West.

“I believe we will play a role in this issue...The parties may have expectations from us as they have had in the past. Turkey may be asked to step in at difficult times,” Erdogan said, but refused to elaborate Saturday’s meeting will see Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana discuss a package of incentives offered to Tehran by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in return for freezing its uranium enrichment programme.—AFP