BRUSSELS // The European Union says its foreign policy chief Javier Solana will meet Iran's nuclear negotiator on October 1 for talks on the country's nuclear programme. Mr Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach says Mr Solana and Saeed Jalili decided on the meeting during a telephone conversation this morning. She says it hasn't yet been decided where the meeting will be held and the practical arrangements are still being worked out. The announcement came as the United States and its partner nations accepted a proposal made last week by Iran for broader talks. The upcoming talks are "an important first step", a top US official said. "Let's say it's an important first step and one hopes for the best," the US secretary of energy Steven Chu told reporters on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference here. Mr Chu confirmed that Washington would participate in the talks. * AP and AFP