Luxembourg - Weekend talks with the Iranian regime over the country's controversial nuclear programme went "better than expected," international negotiator Javier Solana said Monday.

"I would say that the meeting went a little bit better than I expected, but with the difficulties that you know always exist when dealing on this matter with Iran," Solana told journalists ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Solana is the EU's top foreign policy official and has been nominated to negotiate with Iran on its nuclear programme by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

In the latter capacity he travelled to Tehran on Saturday to offer what diplomats called a "refreshed" deal aimed at convincing Iran to give up its uranium-enrichment programme in return for renewed cooperation with the international community.

The deal is "a good proposal, a generous proposal, a very comprehensive proposal," and the Iranian regime will now "think about it and give a response," Solana said.

"We had good meetings, long meetings, I don't say that they're going to accept everything, but they know what they have to do," he said.

European states have long been concerned that the Iranian uranium- enrichment programme could be intended for military purposes, a suspicion Tehran rejects.

EU ministers are scheduled to discuss the issue on Monday at their regular monthly meeting. However, the political crisis caused by Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty last week threatens to overshadow all other questions. (dpa)