Iran said on Thursday that it hoped weekend talks aimed at defusing the long-running standoff over its nuclear drive would produce "positive developments" and voiced satisfaction at U.S. involvement.
"The presence of an American delegate in Geneva will help the United States be informed directly," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a visit to Damascus.
"We hope that the meeting in Geneva on Saturday will produce positive developments on the ground," he said at a news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.
In a major policy shift by Washington, U.S. Under Secretary of State William Burns will attend the talks between Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Said Jalili and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.