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5 April 2012 / TODAYSZAMAN.COM WITH WIRES,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slammed Iran after Tehran proposed Baghdad and China as venue for a new round of nuclear talks with world powers, instead of İstanbul, saying Tehran is not being honest.
Erdoğan told reporters on Thursday that Iran’s proposal for a new venue was an untenable demand that would sabotage the planned talks. "The offer going round at the moment, Damascus or Baghdad, is a waste of time, it means it won't happen, because they know the other side won't come to Damascus or Baghdad," Erdoğan told a news conference in Ankara.
“[Iran] needs to be honest,” Erdoğan said, adding that they are constantly losing prestige in the world by not being honest.
Turkish prime minister also added that Iran’s language is not a diplomatic one and that speaking in that language would not fit to his ethics.
Iran has balked at having the negotiations in İstanbul because of Turkey's escalating pressure on the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key Iranian ally.
Head of the parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said on Thursday that he supported Baghdad as a venue, one of several alternative sites floated by Iran in recent days. Iraq's Shiite-led government has long-standing ties with Iran, and other sites mentioned by Iran - Syria, Lebanon or China - are also allies of Tehran.
Western officials have complained about Iran bargaining over the venue for this month's planned talks with world powers.
Earlier this week, Clinton said the talks would take place in İstanbul. Western officials have remained committed to Turkey as the host, although possible alternatives could be Switzerland or Vienna, the site of the UN nuclear watchdog agency. European envoys have taken the lead in trying to work out a location for the talks.
The last attempt at talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions quickly collapsed 14 months ago after Iran refused proposals that included freezing its uranium enrichment in exchange for delivery of reactor-ready fuel from outside the country. The West and others fear Iran could use its ability to make nuclear fuel to eventually develop atomic weapons. Iran says it only seeks reactors for energy and medical research.
After Erdoğan's comments it would appear even more unlikely the talks will be held in İstanbul, and the lack of a venue could throw into question whether the negotiations will take place at all.
"This meeting is not something that will win us any prestige and we are not after any such prestige. Iran would be the winners with us here. Why? Because we would put forward for them a just approach," Erdoğan said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested that the talks would still happen however.
"It's 13/14 April," he told a briefing in Paris on Thursday morning. "As for the location there are still discussions ... we will eventually find a location."
Tensions between neighbors Turkey and Iran rose this week after a senior Iranian figure spoke out against Turkey hosting the nuclear talks following the meeting in İstanbul on Sunday of the "Friends of Syria" group of countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's close Arab ally.
Attending talks in Turkey's biggest city could have been embarrassing for Iranian leaders so soon after the "Friends of Syria" meeting, which brought together more than 70 nations demanding stronger sanctions to pressure Assad to accept UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan or step down.
The spat with Iran is a setback for Turkey's attempts to play the role of honest broker in Tehran's dispute over its nuclear program, which the West sees as a veiled attempt to attain a nuclear weapons capability.
The issue is also likely to be personal for Erdoğan, who travelled to Iran as recently as last week and met President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and also had a rare audience with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Erdoğan returned to Turkey saying he had received assurances from both that their nuclear program is purely civilian and said he had no reason to doubt their sincerity.
But Erdoğan's vocal opposition to Assad, another former friend and ally, and Turkey's hosting of the Syrian opposition and international meetings of nations opposed to the Damascus government has set Turkey and Iran, two of the region's most biggest military powers, at odds with one another.
Turkey for decades kept its distance from the machinations of Middle East diplomacy. But under Erdoğan's conservative government it has sought to engage with its eastern backyard and project its influence as the region's most developed and successful economy.
The move has dragged Turkey into the region's complex political web however and left Ankara's policy of "zero problems with the neighbors" in shreds, at least as far as the Middle East is concerned, with ties fraught with Syria, Iran and the Baghdad government, and good relations only with Iraq's Kurds.
Turkey says Iran not honest in nuclear talks
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slammed Iran after Tehran proposed Baghdad and China as venue for a new round of nuclear talks with world powers, instead of İstanbul, saying Tehran is not being honest.
Erdoğan told reporters on Thursday that Iran’s proposal for a new venue was an untenable demand that would sabotage the planned talks. "The offer going round at the moment, Damascus or Baghdad, is a waste of time, it means it won't happen, because they know the other side won't come to Damascus or Baghdad," Erdoğan told a news conference in Ankara.
“[Iran] needs to be honest,” Erdoğan said, adding that they are constantly losing prestige in the world by not being honest.
Turkish prime minister also added that Iran’s language is not a diplomatic one and that speaking in that language would not fit to his ethics.
Iran has balked at having the negotiations in İstanbul because of Turkey's escalating pressure on the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key Iranian ally.
Head of the parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said on Thursday that he supported Baghdad as a venue, one of several alternative sites floated by Iran in recent days. Iraq's Shiite-led government has long-standing ties with Iran, and other sites mentioned by Iran - Syria, Lebanon or China - are also allies of Tehran.
Western officials have complained about Iran bargaining over the venue for this month's planned talks with world powers.
Earlier this week, Clinton said the talks would take place in İstanbul. Western officials have remained committed to Turkey as the host, although possible alternatives could be Switzerland or Vienna, the site of the UN nuclear watchdog agency. European envoys have taken the lead in trying to work out a location for the talks.
The last attempt at talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions quickly collapsed 14 months ago after Iran refused proposals that included freezing its uranium enrichment in exchange for delivery of reactor-ready fuel from outside the country. The West and others fear Iran could use its ability to make nuclear fuel to eventually develop atomic weapons. Iran says it only seeks reactors for energy and medical research.
After Erdoğan's comments it would appear even more unlikely the talks will be held in İstanbul, and the lack of a venue could throw into question whether the negotiations will take place at all.
"This meeting is not something that will win us any prestige and we are not after any such prestige. Iran would be the winners with us here. Why? Because we would put forward for them a just approach," Erdoğan said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested that the talks would still happen however.
"It's 13/14 April," he told a briefing in Paris on Thursday morning. "As for the location there are still discussions ... we will eventually find a location."
Tensions between neighbors Turkey and Iran rose this week after a senior Iranian figure spoke out against Turkey hosting the nuclear talks following the meeting in İstanbul on Sunday of the "Friends of Syria" group of countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's close Arab ally.
Attending talks in Turkey's biggest city could have been embarrassing for Iranian leaders so soon after the "Friends of Syria" meeting, which brought together more than 70 nations demanding stronger sanctions to pressure Assad to accept UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan or step down.
The spat with Iran is a setback for Turkey's attempts to play the role of honest broker in Tehran's dispute over its nuclear program, which the West sees as a veiled attempt to attain a nuclear weapons capability.
The issue is also likely to be personal for Erdoğan, who travelled to Iran as recently as last week and met President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and also had a rare audience with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Erdoğan returned to Turkey saying he had received assurances from both that their nuclear program is purely civilian and said he had no reason to doubt their sincerity.
But Erdoğan's vocal opposition to Assad, another former friend and ally, and Turkey's hosting of the Syrian opposition and international meetings of nations opposed to the Damascus government has set Turkey and Iran, two of the region's most biggest military powers, at odds with one another.
Turkey for decades kept its distance from the machinations of Middle East diplomacy. But under Erdoğan's conservative government it has sought to engage with its eastern backyard and project its influence as the region's most developed and successful economy.
The move has dragged Turkey into the region's complex political web however and left Ankara's policy of "zero problems with the neighbors" in shreds, at least as far as the Middle East is concerned, with ties fraught with Syria, Iran and the Baghdad government, and good relations only with Iraq's Kurds.
Turkey says Iran not honest in nuclear talks
