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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Erdogan Heads to Iran for Nuclear Talks With Lula, Ahmadinejad |
| 2010-05-16 |
| Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpectedly left for Tehran today to join talks on Iran's nuclear program that may be a last opportunity to avoid tougher international sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier today met with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Neither leader mentioned nuclear talks in their statements to the press. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Brazil and Iran met for 2 1/2 hours today to discuss the nuclear issue, Turkey's state-owned Anatolia news agency reported. “UN Security Council sanctions were a possibility because of Iran's nuclear program,' Erdogan said in Izmir, according to Anatolia. “The talks have delayed that a little. God willing we'll be able to overcome these difficulties with the steps that will be taken.' Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on May 14 that Lula's trip “may be the last chance' for a negotiated solution before the United Nations Security Council considers new sanctions. U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said on May 13 that if Lula fails, efforts to negotiate with Iran should end and pressure for sanctions should intensify. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its atomic energy program. Iran rejects the claim and says its activities are solely civilian. Turkey, which borders Iran to the west, opposes additional sanctions against the country and says diplomacy must be pursued. Turkish officials have several times stated their readiness for their country to serve as a venue for a swap of low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel that can be used in a Tehran reactor for medical purposes. |
| Posted by:tipper |