Ankara wants a fair dialogue between the West, Iran
Article | December 4, 2011 – 5:24pm
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul speaks during a press conference, 22 November 2011. |EPA/DAN KITWOOD POOL
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that one need to understand the reasons which is prompting Iran to continue with its suspected nuclear a programme despite the sanctions which gravely affected the Iran’s’ economy, Zaman reported. “It is important to put oneself in their shoes and see how they perceive threats,” he said. He stressed it is not wise to view all the different groups and concentrations of power in Iran as a single entity, but refused to disclose the elements in Iran he was referring. He was commenting on a International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran’s nuclear programme which claimed that Iran is preparing to develop nuclear weapon capability.
A year ago, Turkey made several efforts to revive nuclear diplomacy between Iran and western nations. Turkey hosted Iran’s nuclear program in Istanbul which severely affected its image in the west and also strained ties with US. According to Gul, a frank and transparent dialogue between Iran and the western powers is necessary to ensure peace. “When I say transparent I mean Iran, and when I say frank I mean the West,” he explained. Gul added that Turkey is opposed to military options for dealing with the issue amid increasing threats from Israeli officials that it could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if the Islamic republic does not relinquish its nuclear program. “Looking at the Middle East, one has to have a comprehensive approach to disarmament,” he added. Few weeks back, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the country strongly oppose nuclear weapons in the Middle East as there are already enough tensions in the region. Citing this situation, he said that Iran will act in a wise and responsible manner. Meantime, speaking about Syria Gul said that the country is now at a dead end. Citing UN estimates, he said that 3,500 people have been due to the eight months of unrest in Syria.
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