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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran: Govt will not hinder Turkish mediation with US, says FM spokesman |
| 2008-11-18 |
| (AKI) - Iran will not obstruct Turkey's mediation between the US and Iran, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hassan Qashqavi. Reacting to remarks made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday to a US daily that Turkey was ready to mediate between both countries, Qashqavi said: "We think the comments ... stem from Turkish goodwill and good and growing neighbourly ties between Iran and Turkey, so we will certainly not raise any obstacles." "But the reality is that the issue and problems between Iran and the United states go beyond the usual political problems between two countries," warned Qashqavi. Washington has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when university students loyal to Ayatollah Khomeini took over the US embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Since that time, the relationship between the two countries remains strained. United States president-elect Barack Obama has said that direct talks are possible between both countries. However, the administration of outgoing US President George W. Bush has Turkey's offer of mediating between the US and Iran is the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts by Ankara to bring peace to the region. Recently, Turkey has played a key role in mediating four rounds of indirect talks between Israel and Syria since May. |
| Posted by:Fred |