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Turkey: US confirms Turkey’s role in Iran nuke efforts
Ankara and Washington have a “mutual understanding” regarding the course of affairs concerning international efforts to resolve a dispute on Iran’s nuclear program and what the next step should be within this process, a US State department spokesman has stated.
Remarks by US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley delivered during a daily press briefing on Wednesday came hours after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu denied statements attributed to a US official that Washington requested that Turkey stay out of international efforts to resolve the Iran deadlock and insisted that Ankara was part of the process.
“Well, I don’t see those as necessarily being mutually exclusive. In other words, Turkey and Iran are neighbors. One would expect that Turkey and Iran will continue to have diplomatic contacts. It is within their rights, and obviously, what happens in Iran has a profound and direct influence on Turkey,” Crowley responded when reminded of Davutoðlu’s remarks by a journalist.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying on Monday that during a telephone conversation with Davutoðlu earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Davutoðlu to leave Iran’s nuclear dispute to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and that Davutoðlu agreed.
Crowley clarified those anonymous remarks.
“What the secretary said to the foreign minister in their call earlier this week was that at this stage, the primary focus should be on Iran engaging constructively the IAEA and the P5+1. And we believe that there was a mutual understanding about the importance of getting Iran to engage the IAEA and the P5+1 at this stage of the game,” he said.
Turkey and Brazil signed an agreement with Iran on May 17, under which it agreed to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for uranium enriched up to 20 percent by Russia and France. But the US immediately dismissed the deal and pressed for sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council. The sanctions were passed but Turkey and Brazil voted against the measure.
Despite the sanctions, a new round of talks is expected to begin. Russia and France, both members of the UN Security Council and the Vienna Group of negotiators, have called for talks on the basis of the nuclear swap deal but it is not clear whether and how Turkey would be involved.
Speaking at a joint press conference following talks with senior EU officials, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, in Ýstanbul on Tuesday, Davutoðlu said the Tehran declaration of May 17 was still on the table as a possible basis for future talks, adding that, alternatively, a new process might also begin on the basis of a letter Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, has sent to Ashton. Iran said in the letter sent earlier this month that it’s ready for talks on the country’s nuclear program but that the EU must first guarantee that there would be no threats against Tehran.
While departing from Lisbon on Wednesday following an official bilateral visit, Davutoðlu held a lengthy bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, who was also on an official visit to Portugal.
Following the almost one-and-a-hour long tête-à-tête meeting at the VIP-hall of Lisbon’s military airport, Davutoðlu recalled that he met with Ashton on Tuesday and added: “I shared with Mr. Mottaki the matters regarding how the process concerning Iran will function from now on.”
Turkey wants negotiations on the nuclear issue to start in the shortest time possible, he said, adding, “We are holding talks so that dialogue can be started at once and we encourage [all parties regarding] this.”
At almost the same time as Davutoðlu was delivering these remarks, the Reuters news agency reported that the EU has told Iran it welcomes a proposal to resume dialogue as early as September but says talks must focus on Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Ashton sent the message in a letter responding to a July 6 letter from Jalili calling for resumption of talks.
Jalili’s proposal was the first indication that Tehran is willing to engage with world powers on its atomic program since the United Nations imposed more sanctions on Iran last month, a move designed to stall Iranian uranium enrichment.
“I am glad to hear that you would be prepared to restart dialogue,” Ashton said in her letter to Jalili, which was seen by Reuters. “It follows that issues relating to the Iranian nuclear program must be the focus of our talks, though other subjects ... could also be raised.”
Ashton said EU and Iranian officials should discuss a time and venue for a meeting.
A spokesperson for Ashton confirmed the EU had replied to Jalili in a letter that was delivered on Tuesday.
Ankara and Washington have a “mutual understanding” regarding the course of affairs concerning international efforts to resolve a dispute on Iran’s nuclear program and what the next step should be within this process, a US State department spokesman has stated.
Remarks by US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley delivered during a daily press briefing on Wednesday came hours after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu denied statements attributed to a US official that Washington requested that Turkey stay out of international efforts to resolve the Iran deadlock and insisted that Ankara was part of the process.
“Well, I don’t see those as necessarily being mutually exclusive. In other words, Turkey and Iran are neighbors. One would expect that Turkey and Iran will continue to have diplomatic contacts. It is within their rights, and obviously, what happens in Iran has a profound and direct influence on Turkey,” Crowley responded when reminded of Davutoðlu’s remarks by a journalist.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying on Monday that during a telephone conversation with Davutoðlu earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Davutoðlu to leave Iran’s nuclear dispute to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and that Davutoðlu agreed.
Crowley clarified those anonymous remarks.
“What the secretary said to the foreign minister in their call earlier this week was that at this stage, the primary focus should be on Iran engaging constructively the IAEA and the P5+1. And we believe that there was a mutual understanding about the importance of getting Iran to engage the IAEA and the P5+1 at this stage of the game,” he said.
Turkey and Brazil signed an agreement with Iran on May 17, under which it agreed to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for uranium enriched up to 20 percent by Russia and France. But the US immediately dismissed the deal and pressed for sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council. The sanctions were passed but Turkey and Brazil voted against the measure.
Despite the sanctions, a new round of talks is expected to begin. Russia and France, both members of the UN Security Council and the Vienna Group of negotiators, have called for talks on the basis of the nuclear swap deal but it is not clear whether and how Turkey would be involved.
Speaking at a joint press conference following talks with senior EU officials, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, in Ýstanbul on Tuesday, Davutoðlu said the Tehran declaration of May 17 was still on the table as a possible basis for future talks, adding that, alternatively, a new process might also begin on the basis of a letter Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, has sent to Ashton. Iran said in the letter sent earlier this month that it’s ready for talks on the country’s nuclear program but that the EU must first guarantee that there would be no threats against Tehran.
While departing from Lisbon on Wednesday following an official bilateral visit, Davutoðlu held a lengthy bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, who was also on an official visit to Portugal.
Following the almost one-and-a-hour long tête-à-tête meeting at the VIP-hall of Lisbon’s military airport, Davutoðlu recalled that he met with Ashton on Tuesday and added: “I shared with Mr. Mottaki the matters regarding how the process concerning Iran will function from now on.”
Turkey wants negotiations on the nuclear issue to start in the shortest time possible, he said, adding, “We are holding talks so that dialogue can be started at once and we encourage [all parties regarding] this.”
At almost the same time as Davutoðlu was delivering these remarks, the Reuters news agency reported that the EU has told Iran it welcomes a proposal to resume dialogue as early as September but says talks must focus on Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Ashton sent the message in a letter responding to a July 6 letter from Jalili calling for resumption of talks.
Jalili’s proposal was the first indication that Tehran is willing to engage with world powers on its atomic program since the United Nations imposed more sanctions on Iran last month, a move designed to stall Iranian uranium enrichment.
“I am glad to hear that you would be prepared to restart dialogue,” Ashton said in her letter to Jalili, which was seen by Reuters. “It follows that issues relating to the Iranian nuclear program must be the focus of our talks, though other subjects ... could also be raised.”
Ashton said EU and Iranian officials should discuss a time and venue for a meeting.
A spokesperson for Ashton confirmed the EU had replied to Jalili in a letter that was delivered on Tuesday.