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Democratic opponent in 2004, said the decision could be "the most
welcome flip-flop in recent diplomatic history."

American and Iranian midlevel envoys, including the American
ambassador to Iraq, Ryan C. Crocker, have met episodically in several
face-to-face talks in Baghdad in an effort to discuss common concerns
over Iraq.

But there have been very few other direct encounters between American
and Iranian officials since relations between the countries were
severed after Iran seized the American Embassy in late 1979.

During the hostage crisis, President Carter once secretly sent
Hamilton Jordan, his chief of staff, dressed in disguise as a
potential negotiator.

In 1986, in an effort to free several American hostages in Lebanon,
President Reagan sent his national security adviser, Robert C.
McFarlane, on a secret arms-for-hostages mission to Iran. He went
bearing a key-shaped chocolate cake and a Bible that Mr. Reagan had
inscribed with a New Testament passage.

The first President Bush was so eager to begin a dialogue with Iran
that he once answered a phone call expecting to find Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, then the president, on the line. The call was a hoax.

There were also unannounced midlevel contacts involving American and
Iranian officials on the sidelines of six-country talks on Afghanistan
in Geneva several years ago.

A determining factor in the American decision to attend the meeting
this weekend appeared to have been Iran's reaction to the fact that
Ms. Rice signed a letter that was part of the package of political and
economic incentives presented by the six powers in Tehran last month.

Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, was described by
participants in the meeting as being visibly stunned by her signature
on the document along with those of her counterparts.

Mr. Mottaki formally responded to the proposal in a letter this month,
addressing it to Ms. Rice as well as Mr. Solana and the five foreign
ministers of the five other countries. The gesture to include Ms. Rice
was seen as a sign of Iran's willingness to engage directly with the
United States.

The Iranian letter ignored the important issue of its uranium
enrichment activities but said Iran sought to "find common ground
through logical and constructive actions," according to officials who
read it.

Under the incentives proposal offered to Iran, the two sides would
agree to a brief mutual "freeze for freeze" under which Iran would not
increase its uranium enrichment activities and the six powers would
not seek additional international sanctions.

For substantive negotiations to officially begin, Iran would first
have to halt its production of enriched uranium, which, depending on
the enrichment level, can be used to produce electricity or fuel
bombs.

But some European officials engaged in the diplomacy conceded that
negotiations had already started, and that Iran had successfully
opened a negotiating process while continuing its nuclear activities.

Elaine Sciolino reported from Paris, and Steven Lee Myers from Washington.