TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said here Thursday that Iran is considering the fourth round of talks with the U.S. on Iraq after carefully studying the outcome of former talks with Washington on the issue.

Mottaki told IRNA on the sidelines of a meeting with a group of Basijis (volunteer) forces that Iran has at the proposal of the Iraqi officials and formal request of the Americans agreed to enter a fresh round of talks on Iraq.
He said, ""We believe in the kind of talks that would yield positive results in line with interests of the Iraqi people and stabilize the government in the country.""
Asked on the timing of the fourth round of Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq, Mottaki said the date will be announced after required studies.
Asked whether issues other than Iraq would be discussed in the talks, Mottaki said, ""Any issues somehow related to Iraq would be discussed.""
Also asked whether the fate of the Iranian diplomats kidnapped by the U.S. troops in Iraq would be discussed, Mottaki said, ""No agenda for the talks has yet been drawn up.""
He added, ""To follow up the fate of the kidnapped diplomats in Iraq it is not needed to have such a dialogue. The issue has been put on agenda of Iran's diplomacy and would be seriously followed.""
He noted that the issue has been pursued through different messages and ""we hope the problem would be solved as soon as possible and the remaining diplomats in the U.S. captivity would be released.""
The top Iranian diplomat said consultations are underway with the Iraqi officials in that connection and ""the Americans are responsible for abduction of the diplomats.""
Asked to comment on the U.S. sponsored Annapolis conference, Mottaki said, ""As it was evident nothing special happened in the meeting and it produced no result.""
He said the participants in the meeting only agreed on continuation of the talks, which is not something new.
The talks have been going on for years with no outcome, he concluded.