Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told Iranian government officials in Teheran on Thursday that South Africa hoped the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme could be resolved through negotiations.

After meeting Iran's foreign minister, Manoucher Mottaki, and a second meeting with the secretary-general of Iran's national security council and chief negotiator on nuclear issues, Ali Larijani, Dlamini-Zuma said: "We've had a briefing and we're going to take that to our president so that he can understand and see what his own contribution can be.

"But what I can say is that the president, the government of South Africa and I'm quite sure the people of South Africa... would hope that this matter can be resolved through negotiation and in an amicable way."

Dlamini-Zuma said South Africa's position on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) had not changed.

"... members of the NPT have obligations and have got rights and those obligations must be observed but the rights must also be enjoyed.”

An audio recording of her remarks was relayed to Sapa.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said Dlamini-Zuma and Mottaki had earlier discussed bilateral relations and the forthcoming joint South African-Iranian commission to be held in South Africa.

They also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Iran's nuclear programme.

Dlamini-Zuma will proceed on Friday to St Petersburg in Russia where she will join a delegation led by President Thabo Mbeki to the G8 summit to discuss energy security, education and infectious diseases.

South Africa has been invited to the summit with Congo (Brazzaville) as outreach partners of the G8. Other partners include China, Brazil, India and Mexico, Mamoepa said. - Sapa