Washington - The United States plans to send a top official to join a weekend meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, US newspapers reported Wednesday. 

Amid President George W Bush's tough stance toward Iran's alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons, US Undersecretary of State William Burns would attend the Geneva talks, reportedly as a gesture of Washington's commitment to a peaceful solution of the impasse, said the reports, which cited unnamed sources. 

The Washington Post quoted a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as calling the meeting "a one-time deal." 

According to multiple reports, Burns would be under orders not to negotiate or meet separately with Jalili. The United States continues to insist that Iran must halt its uranium enrichment efforts before full- fledged negotiations may commence. 

Burns' presence at the Geneva meeting would be the highest-level diplomatic contact between the United States and Iran since the US embassy in Tehran was stormed in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, The New York Times reported. (dpa)