The president met the Iranian envoy Ali Larijani for "informal" talks in the capital Bern, Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel told AFP.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, earlier Monday mentioned the possibility of a "Swiss proposal" to help resolve the international dispute over Tehran's nuclear activities.

Iran insists its program aims to generate nuclear energy for civilian purposes, but world powers suspect it of wanting to develop nuclear arms.

At talks in Brussels on Monday, European Union foreign ministers pledged to press on with their "twin track" approach of keeping the door open to negotiations with Iran while endorsing specially targeted UN Security Council measures.

Larijani said Switzerland was playing what he described as a constructive facilitating role in the issue, speaking on the Swiss TSR television station on Monday evening.

Calmy-Rey, who also acts as Switzerland's foreign minister, called on Iran to show "transparency" in its nuclear activities, according a to statement from the foreign ministry.

It added that Switzerland recognises all states' right to nuclear technology for peaceful means and opposes nuclear weapons proliferation, urging a "diplomatic" solution to the dispute.

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