London - The British government hopes to be able to uphold a "dual track approach" in the nuclear row with Iran by promising Tehran economic incentives in return for concessions on its nuclear enrichment programme, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Wednesday.

Miliband said western nations were awaiting with interest Iran's response to the latest western-proposed package by this weekend's deadline.

He hoped that the dual track approach adopted by the five UN veto powers plus Germany towards Iran could be upheld, Miliband said after talks in London with his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini.

Frattini said he was "very disappointed" with a statement by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Wednesday, which said that any Iranian concessions on its nuclear programme would only lead to fresh demands from western nations.

Khamenei's statement required an "imminent and serious response" at European level, said Frattini.

The two ministers also discussed the "consolidation and stabilization" of Afghanistan and reviewed Italy's plans for its leadership of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations next year, said Frattini. (dpa)