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BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed how to handle the Iran nuclear crisis ahead of a meeting of world powers to resolve the issue, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The phone conversation late Wednesday came the same day that Washington offered to join face-to-face talks over Tehran's disputed nuclear program - a move that was presented as a shift in U.S. tactics to offer the Iranians a last chance to avoid punishing sanctions.

"Their major topic was how to properly handle the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic means," Xinhua said, citing the Foreign Ministry. No other details about what Li and Rice discussed were given.

Rice was to meet Thursday in Vienna with representatives from the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, including China, Britain, France and Russia. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo was to attend the meeting.

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The group would complete work on a package of economic incentives and threats of sanctions to be presented to Tehran. The United States has been under mounting pressure from European allies to join talks.

Washington has had no diplomatic ties with Iran and few contacts at all with its government since Islamic radicals took over the U.S. Embassy in 1979 and held diplomats for more than a year.

Rice has said the offer to talk would "underscore our commitment to a diplomatic solution and to enhance prospects for success."

China and Russia, longtime allies of Iran, have opposed U.S.-led efforts to impose U.N. sanctions.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao called on Iran to "resume full cooperation" with the U.N. nuclear agency and endorsed the European offer of incentives to persuade Tehran to give up uranium enrichment.

© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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