(Reuters) - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said on Friday he had a positive impression of a proposal for Iran to halt nuclear enrichment, but would not be rushed into responding.
Western powers have demanded Iran make a full reply to an offer of a package of incentives for it to halt nuclear enrichment by a July 15 Group of Eight (G8) summit in St. Petersburg. Tehran says it will respond to the offer by August 22.
Speaking through an interpreter, Larijani said: "The Iranian nuclear issue is not so complicated that it cannot be resolved by dialogue."
He told a news conference during a visit to Madrid there was no reason to be pessimistic about an impasse, but that setting time limits undermined confidence on both sides.
"We don't need people to set us deadlines," he said.
"This pressure creates an atmosphere of a lack of trust and doubt between the two parties," he said, answering a question about the timing of Iran's response.
Larijani also said his meeting with the European Union's foreign policy chief had been "very fruitful and constructive."
Larijani met Javier Solana for a private dinner in Brussels on Thursday, before his visit to Spain.